Dream Of The Soul
by Aristaline
Summary: Human, elf, neither or both? Humans reject her, and elves remain illusive. Alagaësia is riddled with strife under King Galbatorix's rule. Whispering of a new Dragon Rider has reached her ears, but it's not until young Kyra chances upon an elf with secrets that she gains any hope of breaking away from the cruel kings tyranny.
1. Chapter 1: Mysterious Dreams

**A/N:** This is my first time putting up a story, so bare with me, okay? If you notice any mistakes, or have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to let me know. :) By the way, this first chapter is basically giving you the low down on my character and part of her story. It's kind of slow, but the story will get better as I add more chapters. _((Oh, and for the first while there won't really be any of the characters from the actual inheritance cycle, just my own. But they will get there. ^-^))  
_I will only do this once, but hopefully everyone one will get it:  
**DISCLAIMER:** I do _not_ own any of the characters, places or concepts from the inheritance cycle. That right goes to the author of the books, Christopher Paolini. I only lay claim to my made up characters, which most people will be able to recognise because they never appear in any of the books from the actual series.  
Anyways, on with the show!

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Story:

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Chapter 1: Mysterious Dreams.

A hooded figure ran through the trees, carrying something in his arms. Each step appeared to make him move faster and faster. Even now, he was running too fast for a normal human eye to catch. If someone were to see him, it would appear to be a blur, and before they can even comprehend what they had seen, he would already be gone.

The trees in the forest were rather thick, but ever so slowly they started to thin. Suddenly, the person had reached the end of the tree lines and had busted out into a clearing. The clearing was full of wild flowers, with a small creek running through it. At the very center of the clearing the water from the creek flowed into a pond about the size of a small house. The water sparkled and glistened from the sun's reflection.

Coming to an abrupt halt, the man slowed down and eventually stopped, right next to the waters edge. Kneeling down by the water, a strong draft of wind blew the hood of his green cloak off. This revealed his short, bright red-orange hair, pointed ears, and crystalline clear eyes that were a silvery blue color. The boys' physical features suggested that he was barely seventeen, or possibly eighteen. His beauty surpassed that of any normal man, and would captivate most any normal women.

Unfolding his arms, he revealed the object that he had been so carefully holding on to. The object, whatever it was, was wrapped in a thick brown cloth. There was a small opening on the cloth that showed a patch of deep violet with a streak of sky blue across its surface.

Kneeling closer to the water he slowly lowered the package into the water. As soon as his arms could stretch no farther, he let go of the package. Then, he stayed there; his eye's gazing upon the package as it drifted down to the bottom.

The moment the package was out of his sight, he stood all the way up and began to run off in the direction opposite of which he came. Stopping only long enough to flip his hood back on, he ran off into the distance, then slowly, everything began to blur.

* * *

"Owe!" I muttered as I rolled out of my bed and onto the hard, wooden floor. It had only been seconds ago that I had been dreaming about a mysterious person, but just by rolling slightly I had ended up on the floor.

Stretching my arms, I grabbed onto the edge of my small bed, and listened to it creak and moan as I used it as support to pull myself to my feet. Glancing around the room, I couldn't tell weather or not it was morning, or still the middle of the night. Rubbing my hands over my eyes, I yawned and walked to my widow where a blanket was draped in front of it.

The blanket was there for two reasons: Firstly, to stop the light from coming into my room too early in the morning. Secondly, it keeps me from opening my window at night when there are plenty of wild animals roaming around. Twisting my hand and clicking my tongue against the roof of my mouth I pulled the blanket away from my window to reveal a bright ray of sunshine.

Morning. Ah. I wondered if breakfast was ready yet as I turned around and let my eyes adjust to the light in my room. My room was small, and mostly bare besides my bed, a small dresser and an old tattered shelf. The shelf had been poorly made of old pieces of wood, and only had one shelf. That one shelf had a bow, quiver, and arrows spread across it. In truth, I wasn't supposed to have the bow, as it was too 'dangerous' for a girl. I ignored what the others said.

Sweeping my eyes across the room I noted that I would need a few more candles soon. There was one candle for both sides on the top of my dresser, and one on top of the shelf. They were down to the end of the wick, and would have to be replaced as soon as possible.

Besides the candles on top of the dresser, there was a small mirror with no frame, a silver hair brush, and a tattered brown box. The brown box held a few of my smaller trinkets and jewelry, but it was mostly empty and for show. A ink pen and a few scraps of paper laid next to the box.

_Well, I better get dressed. _I sighed, and pulled the silver brush through my hair. My hair was a fair chocolate-brown color, rather silky and slightly wavy. It barely reached past the top of my shoulders. After setting my hair brush down, I dressed in a light colored t-shirt and shorts, and left my feet perfectly bare.

Down the hallway and to the left I found my mother, Anne, setting breakfast on the table. There was one plate for herself, one for me, and another plate at the end of the table. "Morning mom." I grinned as I took my place at the table and readied my self for the food.

"Good morning Kyra." She said as she sat down and ran a hand threw her long blond hair. Glancing at me she questioned, "You don't really like meat much, right? So you wouldn't mind if I had your share, right?"

Looking down, I realized that my plate had two fried eggs on it, with a slice of bacon off to the side. Anne knew me fairly well, and guessed right about me not minding. For some reason or another, ever since I was little I hated the taste of any and all meat. Shrugging, I handed her the piece of bacon, "Sure, why not?"

After eating my food, I excused myself from the table and washed my plate in the sink. Glancing at the table, I noticed that the other plate of food was still untouched. "His food is getting cold. Want me to go get him out of bed?"

Without waiting for an answer, I bounded happily out of the room and down the hall. I stopped right before my bedroom, and turned to the right. There was a door that lead into another room in front of me now. With a few seconds of thought, I slowly twisted the doorknob and slid into the room.

The room was dark, but I had no trouble seeing everything that was in the room. My vision was more enhanced then any other human that I knew of. A bed was pushed up against the wall in the far corner of the room, and there was a silhouette of the person who was currently sleeping in it.

Quietly and cautiously I made my way to the side of the bed. Leaning over the figure, obviously a boy, I whispered, "Up and at 'em! It's morning time!" The boy didn't move a muscle, besides the steady intake of air that moved his chest up and down ever so slightly.

Grinning, and taking in a deep breath, I shouted at the top of my lungs, "GET UP LAZY BONES!"

The boy in the bed jumped straight up on his bed from being startled. Because he jumped up so quickly, while being on his bed, he hit his head on the ceiling. Collapsing onto his bed, he held his hands on his head and whined, "Oweeee…"

"Hahahahaha…" I broke into laughter as I watched him. He was my elder brother, but I couldn't help myself if he got scared so easily. "I'm so sorry Jason." I teased, "But you should have seen the look on your face. It was hilarious!"

"Why. You. Little. Brat. " Jason said through gritted teeth. After rubbing his head, which was covered by short blond hair, he lunged at me. I only had a second to react and widen my eyes before he had one arm around my neck, pulling me closer to him, and he used his free hand to run his knuckles across the top of my head; basically giving me a very ruff noogie.

"Owe. Owe. I give. Okay, quit it!" I tugged at my brother's arm until he released his grasp on me. Of course, I could have easily over powered him, considering ever since I could walk and talk, for one reason or another I was strong enough to over power almost any grown man.

This 'power' that I had confused most in the city. But, some had an idea of where it came from. The truth behind this matter lies with my real mother and father. Anne was my adoptive mother, and Jason was Anne's only real child. I never really suspected that I wasn't her child, always thinking that I got my eye and hair color from Anne's husband, who died a year after I was born. Though, a little over two weeks ago Jason slipped up and said something about my real mother. Anne was forced to tell me everything.

"So, why did you come barging into my room?" Jason curiously asked, forgetting about the promise he had made just the day before.

"Two reasons." I brightly said, while holding up two of my fingers on my left hand to indicate the number. "First off, I had another dream last night, but this time it was a bit different, and felt more…_real_. Secondly, you promised to take me _there_ today." I emphasized on a few of the more important words.

"Oh yeah. After breakfast, and after you tell me about the dream." He sat back down on his bed, stretched his arms out wide, and yawned. "What do you mean by 'different', and 'more real'?"

"Well, I saw a boy who was…"I cringed at the thought of saying the last word. If anyone knew about this, I would be in a lot of trouble. Also, Jason already worried enough about me as it was, I didn't need him to worry any more.

"Was what? Why do you look so scared?" He interrupted impatiently. A disgusted and horrified look came across his face as he thought of something. "He wasn't indecent, was he?! Though I don't know why you would dream of such a thing."

"What?! _NO!_" I drew out my 'no' and laughed at the fact that he would even think of such a thing. He laughed along with me, realizing that it was a truly silly idea. Once we calmed down, I sighed, "No, it was nothing like that. You see, the boy had the same crystal clear-silvery blue eyes as me, and he was, um, an elf."

Jason did a double take and stared at me, his jaw slightly open. "Y-your not serious are you? You are! Dammit! This is bad, bad, bad. This makes you even more suspicious.

I shrugged and nodded my head, thinking about what he meant. In some ways, I hoped that the rumors were true, which would lead to a more adventurous life. But on the other hand, I wished dearly that it was just that; rumors, and this was because I knew it would make life very dangerous for me and my family.

When Jason had said that this makes me even more suspicious, I knew exactly what he was talking about. Ever since I was taken in by Anne, the people of Kuasta, the city we lived near, were very suspicious of me. This was all because of my strange eye color, my inhuman strength, the fact that they all knew that I wasn't Anne's kid, as well as the fact that my ears were too pointed to be human, but they weren't quiet pointed enough to be a full blown elf.

Most of the town's people believed that I was part elf, or something of the sort. I had gone around asking about my real mother once I found out about her. A few people had told me that she was a fairly good kid, but was always talking about magic, dragons and elves. She had left the village when she was only seventeen, which was sixteen years before I was born. The day she left she couldn't stop talking about how she found out where the elves lived, and that she was going to meet them.

I thought about all this, and figured that if the town's people knew about my most recent dream, there would be a lot of trouble. "So, why don't you tell me about what actually happened in the dream?" Jason asked, and then had to repeat twice because I wasn't paying attention.

With a sigh of dread, I sat down next to Jason, ready to tell him all about the dream. I didn't spare him any of the details, considering there was no point in hiding any of it from him. He was the one person that I didn't hide anything from.

* * *

The front door slammed as Jason stormed out of the house with an expression of fury on his face. Anne leaned threw the doorway and frowned as I sulked between Jason's room and back to mine, with a sad look on my face. By the look on Anne's face, she must have thought that Jason and I had gotten into some kind of argument. This rarely ever happens, no, this wasn't the case right now.

Unknowing to Anne, this had all been planned out. Jason was sure to have a smile on his face the moment he was outside; happy that he was able to pull off the 'angry' look so easily. Once I had slipped into my room and closed my door I let out a sigh and smiled. Mother was never going to let us go visit my real mother's grave. She repeatedly told us that it was in the Spine, and we weren't allowed there because it was far too dangerous.

Hurrying to the side of my bed, I crouched on the floor and reached underneath my bed. Pulling out my black bag, I hurried to my shelf and pulled out a dagger from under it. Anne had strongly disagreed with me having the bow, let alone any other weapon, so I had to keep it hidden incase she was to come into my room. Putting it in the bottom of my bag, I filled it with a few other items that included some food and a full water canister.

The last thing I stuffed in my bag was my bow and arrows. They would probably come in handy in case we ran into anything that was to dangerous in the Spine. Placing my stuffed bag on my back, I slid quietly out of my room and headed for the front door, hoping, to no avail, that Anne wouldn't notice me.

"And where do you think your going?" Anne prodded, while standing in the doorway to the main room. She paid no head to my bag, considering I took it most everywhere, or to my shoeless feet, for I never wore shoes.

"I'm going to go find Jason and tell him that I'm sorry. I said things that I shouldn't have, and really upset him. I have to make things right." I lied. Lying came to me almost as naturally as breathing, though I hated it. Being able to lie so well made me seem less trustworthy, so I lied as little as possible. It's hard to live an honest life when people think your always lying to them.

Anne shook her head and sighed. "I hope he forgives you. I hate seeing either of you upset." I nodded. Part of me knew that this little act would hurt Anne's feelings, but I knew it would be only temporary. It was only an act and it would all be over soon enough.

Once outside I didn't even bother to glance around, which probably was a bad idea. There was one lone tree off to the left side of the house and a little ways away. Taking one more breath, I bolted for the tree at about a normal human speed even though I knew I could run faster then that. The grass and wild flowers were cool and damp on my feet, but they barely moved as I ran across them.

One second I was running across the field, and the next I was flat on my face with something on top of me.

"Kyra! It's been so long. How are you? What are you doing? Anything new? Where are Jason, and your mom? Anything happen with your dreams? Oh, wait, did I say hello yet? Well, hello! Why are you on the ground? How are you? What have you been up to lat- - -"

"Mia, calm down, you're talking too fast again!" I stopped her while I had the chance. Even though I could support her, I wiggled under her and asked, "Can you please get off of me?"

"Oh, sorry, I'm just so happy to see you. It's been like, a whole week!" Mia smiled then got off of me. After helping me up she pulled me into a huge hug. Mia was my best friend, and really my only real friend besides Jason. We had known each other for a long time, and spent as much time together as we could.

Her short black hair framed her face nicely, and slightly dangled over her brown eyes. Once she released me from her hug she took half a step backwards. "So what are you up to?"

Glancing around to make sure Anne hadn't come outside, I leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, "Jason and I are going on an adventure into the Spine to see my real mother's grave. I'd ask you to come, but I don't want to impose on you, or to let you get hurt since it's too dangerous."

"The Spine?! Are you guy's crazy? The people in Kuasta are always telling us how dangerous it is, and, and, and…" Her voice trailed off and her face was filled with a light pink color as she spotted Jason staring at us from behind the tree. For one reason or another she had a major crush on my brother.

But at the same time she was jealous over the fact that most every boy in the city liked me and not her. Eventually she just ignored it and figured it was because of my unnatural beauty. She may have set her eyes on my brother since he seemed to be the only boy that didn't like me like that, or maybe it was just a coincidence.

"If you don't want to come, that's alright. At least don't tell anyone about this, if you did, Jason would be mighty angry at you." I grinned and started to walk away from her. Her eyes were still fixed on Jason, and as she heard my words she gasped and quickly followed after me.

After reaching Jason, the three of us quickly headed to the edge of the Spine. My mother's grave wouldn't be too far within it considering Anne was too scared to travel that far. Jason was the only one who knew the way, so he became the leader of our little expedition group. Mia stayed close too him, admiring his skills to safely navigate threw the Spine, and occasionally commenting on something. I followed closely behind them, and pulled my bow and three arrows out of my bag. I knocked one of them onto the bow, and held the other two in my free hand.

Sighing, I watched as a flock of birds flew over head. It would be a long walk, and at that moment I wished that I could have flown with the birds.

To be able to fly like the birds would be an amazing feat. I would be able to get to my mother's grave in no time. It would also enable someone like me to easily escape all the danger that lived in Kuasta. Living in Kuasta was very dangerous for someone like me. Most of the people in Kuasta were rather loyal to king Galbatorix. But the king had issued an order that any elves found would have to be arrested and sent straight to him. When the kings guards visit the city I have to be careful because I am too suspicious, and they think I may be an elf.

An hour or so had gone by and all was quiet except for the crunching of twigs as our feet hit the ground. The sun was growing higher and higher into the sky, but it was not yet directly over head. We had maybe another hour or so before it hit noon. Trying to will away the time I asked random questions about what the grave looked like. But, Jason was unable to answer most of them by saying, 'It's too hard to describe, you will have to wait and see.'

After some time, the sun was even higher in the sky, as it shined directly overhead. We had to be close to my mother's final resting place now. Sure enough Jason stopped in his tracks and announced, "This is it. Just past these next few trees is where Kyra's mother awaits us."

The way he said that made me feel like she might still be alive, but I knew that was impossible. No reason to get my hopes up. Lowering my bow to my side, I stepped past Jason and continued forward. One, two, three trees passed by then there was a break in them. With one final step I crossed into the small opening.

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End of chapter 1! (( _Chapter 2: A place for dreams, is the next chapter! ;)_ ))


	2. Chapter 2: A Place For Dreams

**A/N:** Time for chapter two! I know I didn't spend much time between posting chapter 1 and chapter 2. That's because I've already had these chapters, along with 3, 4, and 5, on my computer for a while. I've just been taking the time to edit them and so on. Chapter 3 will probably be up fairly quickly as well, but don't expect the others to be up so soon. The chapters start to get longer and more interesting after this one, so bare with me a little longer, okay? :)  
Note: In this chapter there is a brief bit of the Ancient Language, also known as the elves language. If you are having trouble understanding what the words mean, you can say so in the review, look in one of the books, (_Eragon, Eldest or Brisingr_), or there are plenty of helpful sights online that give you the meaning of the words.  
Please feel free to leave a review, and if you notice mistakes, please let me know. Don't worry, no matter what you say, my feelings will not get hurt. ;)

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Story:

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Chapter 2: A place for dreams.

The sun shinned brightly as I broke into the small clearing. The site was beautiful, and I wondered for a split second if I was dreaming. That thought disappeared as I felt the cool breeze blow threw my hair while watching it rustle threw the grass. A small creek gurgled and sparkled in the sun as it flowed through the back of the clearing.

Standing right in front of the creek was a tall gray grave stone. The top was perfectly round and smooth. Silver letters glinted of the face of it, and a small bundle of dying flowers laid at its base.

Without waiting for either Mai or Jason, I quickly closed the gap between me and the grave stone in five long strides. I stopped about a foot away from it, scanning every inch with my eyes, but refusing to read the actual words on the grave. It was something that I truly wanted to do, so for that reason I waited until I understood everything else about the grave.

It only took a few more seconds before Jason was behind me, placing his left hand on my right shoulder. Mia placer her right hand on my left shoulder, and we were silent for a few minutes.

Something sparked my interest, and I broke the silence, "Where did these flowers come from? It seems like they've only been here for a week or two. I thought you said no one ever comes to visit the grave."

"Well, no one that we know, anyway." Was all Jason said. This had me horribly confused. Who else would come to visit my mom's grave? "We think it's the same people that placed the grave marker and carved these letters into it."

I gulped. Anne had mentioned that some mysterious things had happened near my mom's grave. Her only guess was that it was the work of my father, who she thought was an elf. But, she couldn't be sure. I blinked and forced myself to read the letters written on the stone.

_Here lies Aiedail.  
__Friend to most, enemy to none._

_From your Vinr Älfakyn:  
__Sé ono waíse sköliro fra zar'roc,  
__Un du evarínya ono varda._

_Sé mor'ranr ono finna._

Gasping, I read the strange words over and over again. It was as though they were a foreign language, which was probably true. But, the more I read them, the more sense they made. It was as though someone in the back of my head was giving me faint hints to the words meanings.

"These strange words have baffled Anne and I since they were put here. No matter what I do, I can't understand them at all. I've searched dozens of books, but not a single one will give us even a hint to their meaning. I'm not even sure how to pronounce them." Jason sighed.

Mia leaned closer to the stone and ran her fingers across the letters. "They have no texture, like they are part of the grave marker."

Something clicked in my head. Maybe if I tried saying the words out loud they would make more sense. "Vinr Älfakyn, Sé ono waíse sköliro fra zar'roc, Un du evarínya ono varda. Sé mor'ranr ono finna."

As the words rolled off my tongue I felt a weird sensation engulf me. It was as if the words were giving me energy. A slight tingling feeling ran through my body, as well as a sense of belonging.

"Wow! When you said that, it made me feel alive! It's like you were meant to speak those words!" Jason sounded over excited, his voice full of enthusiasm. Then, all of a sudden a low grumbling sound emitted from him. Grabbing his stomach, he grinned and laugher, "Oops. I ended up missing breakfast. Kyra, did you bring any food?"

Grinning, I turned away from the grave, forgetting about the words and pulled my bag off my back. Taking a few steps away from the grave, I sat down and pulled out some packages from my bag.

Mia, Jason and I all enjoyed a lunch of dried out food. It wasn't the best meal ever, but it was defiantly the best lunch we'd ever had together. For over half an hour we enjoyed each others company, laughing and joking about random nonsense.

Our fun together ended too soon when Jason stood up and suggested that we should head back before Anne threw a fit. "But I don't wanna go back yet!" I complained like a little kid. Refusing to stand up and leave, I rolled onto my stomach and clenched the earth with my hands.

Jason knew he wouldn't be able to undermine my grip so he stood over me, glaring impatiently. Ignoring him, I tried my best to memorize every detail of the small clearing, and the grave stone. When my eyes swept over the creek, a sudden realization hit me.

It was the same creek from my dream. Maybe this meant that it wasn't just a dream. Bolting to my feet I went straight to the creeks edge and peered into its crystal clear water. This had to be it. If we were to follow it…

"I'm not going back yet." My voice was firm and more adult like, unlike before.

"What? But we need to head back!" Jason complained.

"Yeah! This is a dangerous place, and my parents may start to worry if I don't get home soon." Mia sounded upset.

But this was my only chance to find out weather on not my dream was real. It had felt too real to be a dream, and now this creek seemed to be the same one from the dream.

"You guys can go back if you're that worried, but I'm going to follow this creek. I have an odd feeling that it's the same one from my dream." I muttered, just barely loud enough for them to hear. Without waiting for them again, I started to follow the creek down stream at a steady pace.

"Kyra! This isn't the--" Jason started to say something but Mia cut him off with a squeal of excitement.

"From one of your dreams? Really? Oh, oh! I wanna go with you." Now Mia was the one acting like a little kid, even though she was sixteen years old. I was still only fifteen, but at times it felt as though I was older then her. Jason, who was seventeen, sighed and followed behind Mia without another word.

We pressed on quietly threw the trees until the trees started to thin, then abruptly stop. I had a grin on my face so big that I wondered if my face was big enough to hold it. Jason and Mia's jaw's dropped as they stared at the beauty of the clearing, which was more like a meadow.

The clearing was exactly the same as in my dream, but it seemed to hold more beauty when seeing it in person. The flowers swayed in the wind, and the creek flowed to the middle where it emptied into the clear pond. The sunlight danced across its surface, reflecting light everywhere.

"You see? I knew this place had to be real." I gloated. Sliding over the flowers, we headed for the pond in the center of the clearing. Kneeling by the edge I dipped my fingers into the water. My fingers were out of the water just about as quickly as they had been put in.

"The waters freezing!" Even though the sun had been beating on its surface all day, the water felt as though it was frozen over. Shrugging, I figured it wouldn't take too long to get used to if my whole body was in the water.

Slipping my bag off of my back, and setting my bow and arrows on the ground, I swung my legs over the side and into the water. Jason's eyes bulged and his hand clasped down on my shoulder. "No! You'll freeze to death! And if that doesn't get you…you have no idea how deep this thing is."

"But I got to know. I need to see if that _thing _is down there, or I may just go crazy. Dream or not, I'm going for it!"

"This isn't a place for dreams Kyra! You could die if you can't get back in time."

"If this--this beautiful meadow that seems to be full of magic--is not the right place for dreams, then where is?"

Baffled, Jason glowered at me and held his hand firmly on my shoulder. Mia shook her head back and forth, not sure what to do. She hated fights of any kind and would never hurt a fly, which meant she was basically a pacifist.

Even though Jason's hand was still on my shoulder, I lowered myself deeper into the water. The icy sting it left on my legs disappeared after a few seconds. Taking one deep breath, I twisted from Jason's gasp and lunged into the water.

Seconds after submerging myself, I resurfaced gasping for air. The cold water had knocked the air out of me, forcing me to come up. Kicking my legs back and forth and swirling my arms in circles, I was able to keep myself afloat and slightly warm my body.

Not checking to see what Mia or Jason's expression's were, I took another deep breath and plunged deep into the water. The water was fresh with no hint of salt so I was able to open my eyes with ease. The deeper and deeper I went, the darker and colder it got. Soon enough I couldn't tell which way was up. After a few seconds I had reached the bottom, and started feeling around.

Another half a second went by, and I was running out of air. I could hold my breath minutes longer then others, but in this freezing water I was unable to keep my breath for long. Finally, my hand bumped into something other then rock and dirt. Grabbing it, I placed my feet on the bottom and pushed myself upward.

Only moments passed and I was at the surface, one arm swung over the edge of the pond and the other still holding the package under the water. I gasped for air as Jason and Mia waited for a response.

"Did you find anything?" Mia asked, while offering her hand to help me out of the icy water.

"So what if I did?" I playfully asked, and noticed that Jason was glaring at me. What was his problem? I was fine, wasn't I?

"I wanna see it! I wanna see it!" Mia seemed overly excited to see what I found. Grasping her firm hand, she pulled me out of the water and smiled at the package in my left hand.

"Its what you described from the dream!" Jason forgot that he was angry at me for the moment. Pure curiosity filled his face now as his eyes scanned the package.

I nodded and ringed out my wet hair with my right hand. Soaked in water my hair now looked as dark as the bottom of the pond. Trying to shake off the cold water, I twirled around and sat on the ground, balancing the package in the middle of my lap.

Mia sat down to my right and slightly in front of me and Jason to my left, both facing towards me. My hands eagerly ran across the thick brown cloth until they found the small opening. My heart was now pounding as I ripped the cloth from the object.

"Wow!" Mia gasped, "It's beautiful!"

Jason's jaw dropped, "It's a-amazing."

Wrapping my hands around it, I held it up to the light, making it easier to see. The object was like an oval stone. It was perfectly oval, and about a foot long. It seemed polished as it was cool and smooth to the touch.

A deep violet color stretched across the whole surface, unbroken except for thin sky blue streaks that spider webbed all around it. The thin streaks seemed to be made from the same material as the rest. The object, for now we decided to call it a stone, weighed a few pounds, but seemed lighter then it should.

Holding it close to my body, I could feel energy of sorts radiating from it, as though it were alive. Shrugging off the feeling, I carefully passed the stone to Mia so she could hold it. "What do you suppose this actually is? I've never seen anything like it!"

"It seems too perfect to be just a stone." Jason commented as Mia passed it to him.

"Yeah. Considering that it was in the freezing cold water, it's not all that cold." Mia shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe one of the jewelers in Kuasta could tell us what it is!"

"It's probably worth a lot of money. It would help us considerably if we sold it." Jason passed it back to me, contemplating how much it would be worth.

"No!" I rejected the idea of selling it. "This seems too important to just sell! If this was here, that means the elf in my dream is real, too. He'd probably be angry to come back and find out that it was just sold for a few crowns. Besides, I won't sell it either way."

"Kyra…" Jason shook his head, "If it was so important to him, why did he leave it in the bottom of this pond, then run away? Look at the facts. He probably left it behind because it cause's problems."

"It may have been worthless and that's why he left it." Mia thought out loud.

"Maybe, maybe not. No jeweler could have easily made something like this. When I was holding it I got a bad feeling. That _stone_ was more then likely made by magic. Those who dwell with magic often live to regret it. It's got to be dangerous, so we should just get rid of it."

Instinctively I held it closer to my body and closed my eyes. "No way. I just know that this is going to help me find out more about myself. I'm keeping it."

"We need to at least tell Anne about it."

"What? So she can yell at us and take it away?" I thought about it for a minute. "Fine, but if we get in trouble, it's your fault."

"Okay. We'll talk about the specifics on the way home. We need to get going."

I securely stuffed the stone into my bag and picked up my bow and arrows. We resumed our conversation while we headed back along the river. Once we reached my moms grave I stopped to make sure I had all the words memorized before we continued on. My clothing and hair started to air dry, forcing the cold feeling to leave.

The walk back had turned out to be strikingly similar to the walk there. Most of the time Mia conversed with Jason, and I kept mainly to my self. Though, my thoughts this time were mainly wrapped around my dream and the stone. Several times I had to stop myself from shrugging my bag off and checking to make sure the stone was still there.

By the time we reached the edge of the spine and broke into the open the sun was already sinking low in the sky. The light was begging to fade, and the light shapes of stars were starting to appear in the sky.

Mia winced and shook her head. She had to get home quickly or she'd be grounded. Promising not to tell any one about the day, she ran off with a wave of her hand; a smile wide on her face.

"Let's get this over with." I grumbled, placing the bow and arrows back in my bag. Quietly we snuck through the front door, and foolishly tried to reach our rooms before Anne noticed.

Of course, like most of the time, our plan failed. Anne stepped out from the main room and into the hallway, blocking our way. "And where have you been?!"

We both looked down, shaking our heads, not wanting to explain.

"One of you start talking now, or you will both be grounded for a long, _long_ time. NOW!"

"I'm sorry. Please, this is all my fault. I forced Jason into this, so please don't punish him." I pleaded. My heart beat accelerated as I tried to explain everything in a reasonable way. I stuttered a few times, and winced when Anne gave be a hard glare. But, I ended up relaying everything to her despite how badly I wanted to keep some of it hidden.

A half hour passed after finishing the explanation before Anne said anything. With a heavy sigh, she pushed her self upright. "Okay. A few things. First off, I want you to forget about all the writing on your real mom's grave. Mention it to no one. Now, I want you to show me that stone."

Reluctantly I pulled the stone from my bag and handed it to Anne. I refused to forget the words on my mother's stone but I didn't voice my disproval, knowing it would get me in more trouble.

Anne studied the stone for several moments, twisting and turning it, running her fingers across the smooth surface and even bouncing it back and forth between her hands. Once she was done she shoved it back into my arms, there was a sour tone to her voice, "Get rid of that thing as soon as you can. Now, head to bed, the both of you! We will discuss your punishments in the morning."

Solemnly we trudged down the hallway to our rooms. Before I entered my room Jason tapped me on my left shoulder and held up all his fingers on his right hand, excluding his thumb. I knew what this meant, and just nodded in response.

The sign Jason used was commonly known between us. In this instant, Jason used the sign to tell me that he would come by my room later when Anne was sleeping. We often did this when one of us was in trouble, or we had secret plans that had to be kept from Anne.

Once inside my room I shrugged my bag off my shoulder and emptied its contents onto my bed after setting the stone down. My bag dropped to the floor with a soft thump as I sorted through my items and put them away. After that was done, I sat on my bed against the wall, and cradled the stone in my arms.

A short while later Jason slipped into my room and sat next to me. "I thought we agreed that it would be my fault if we got in trouble. So why did you try to take all the blame?"

"I didn't want you getting in trouble for what I did. I was the one who wanted to go. Plus, if it weren't for my little detour, we may have been able to get home without getting in trouble." I turned my face away from him, not wanting to see his reaction.

"Kyra, you can't blame yourself for this." We continued to talk for a few hours, the conversation turning from who to blame, to exactly how we were going to be punished. Eventually Jason became too drowsy to continue talking so he slipped back into his room. Sleep eventually overcame me as I became too tired to keep my eyelids open.

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That's the end of Chapter 2! (( Coming up next: _Chapter 3: A cry for help!_ ))


	3. Chapter 3: A Cry For Help!

**A/N:** Hey all! Chapter 3 is here! (Yes, I know it came out rather quick again. But, it will be a few days, maybe a week, before chapter 4 is up. I've decided that I will finish typing another chapter before placing another one on here. That way it's more organized, keeps me motivated, and doesn't get uploaded too quickly.)  
This chapter is a bit longer then the last two, and deffinately a bit more interesting. The chapters will also keep getting longer after this one. ^_^  
Oh, and, this chapter get's a little gruesome, but it's all part of the main story. I promise that nothing too bad will happen for a while after this chapter. ((This chapter was kind of a spurr-of-the-moment kind of thing, but I cleaned it up and worked with it more since I first wrote it.))

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Story:

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Chapter 3: A cry for help!

The next few days were filled with horror. I had to keep the stone under my bed so Anne wouldn't find it, but that was just the beginning. Jason and I had to clean the house from top to bottom. Not only that, we weren't allowed to go to town for any reason, and we had to make a garden for Anne all by ourselves.

After that we were forced to take care of all the crops and the few animals that we had. Every time Mia came to visit we had to tell her to go home, because we weren't allowed to play with her. On top of all of that, we only got dinner, no breakfast or lunch.

A week and a half after our punishments began; Anne finally decided that we had learned our lesson and things went back to normal, for the most part. She still pressured me to get rid of the stone, and we still weren't allowed to go to the city.

The next morning; a week and five days since we visited my mom's grave, I decided to try something out. Finding a scrap of paper and an ink pen, I wrote down everything that was carved onto my mom's grave. I was thinking that this would help me figure out what the words meant, but it only made me realize even more that they weren't from our language.

Giving up, I tossed the paper and pen onto my floor. The day had been going by awfully slow, even though it was still early morning. Slowly creeping from my room, I checked to see if anyone else was awake yet. There was no sign of anyone.

With a sigh, I returned to my room, but was startled to find Jason lying on my bed. "How'd you get in here? I didn't hear you at all!"

"Man you must still be tired, I know I am." Jason opened one eye to look at me. Sitting up and leaning against the wall, he made enough room for me to sit, "Here, sit down. I still want to sleep, but I was tired of being alone."

"Silly…" Sighing, I crossed the room and sat next to my brother. He leaned his head on mine and slowly drifted off to sleep. A faint smile crossed my face as I leaned onto him and drifted off to sleep myself.

* * *

A branched snapped back into place after it had been disturbed by a rush or air. The elven boy ran as fast as his two legs would go, not caring for bush, branch, or anything else that got in his way. His heart started to pound from how hard he was pushing his body.

Suddenly stopping, he almost toppled over from the force of energy. The wind whipped around him, then died when he completely stopped moving. Even his breathing stopped as he stood motionless, a look of horror on his face.

Quickly and without missing a beat, he whirled around, and started running at full force again, trying to run even faster then he was before. Quicker then he imagined was possible, he reached his destination.

Slowing to a brisk walk, he approached the pool in the middle of the clearing. The moon shinned overhead, leaving a ghostly feeling in the surrounding area. Stopping by the edge of the water, he examined the ground around its edge. His advanced vision was able to pick up the signs that someone, besides himself had been there within the last twenty four hours.

Kicking off his light shoes, and throwing his cloak onto the ground, he dived head first into the freezing water. Droplets of water splashed up and landed on the ground.

Moments later he emerged from the water empty handed. Slamming a fist on the ground and muttering, 'Dammit,' he pulled himself out of the water. Instead of retrieving his cloak or shoes, he laid on his back next to the water, hand dangling into it.

The moon sunk behind the horizon, the sun came out of hiding, and then left, the moon replacing it many times over before the boy got up again. It was early morning now, days since he had laid down to think things over.

Swiftly he pulled his shoes and cloak back on and decided to follow the creek at a slow pace, but began to run as he went farther and farther into the woods. Breaking into another clearing, he stopped by a grave, whispered, 'Pömnuria Fricai.,' then continued running.

All of a sudden an ear splitting scream filled with horror broke the silence.

I jumped out of bed, causing Jason to fall over. "The scream wasn't part of my dream! That was…That sounded like someone I know! I think it came from near the town!"

"What are you talking about?" Jason muttered as he pushed himself off the bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and put one hand on my shoulder. Another scream filled the air, but Jason didn't seem to hear it. "Are you okay?" His voice was full of sleep.

"Didn't you hear that? Someone's screaming, someone's in danger! We need to get to town now!" I moved around my room, opened my dresser and started to put on fresh clothes. I ended up wearing a loose pair of black pants, and a light blue tunic like shirt, and my old tattered, faded green cloak.

Jason grabbed my shoulder with a firm hand, "Kyra, what's gotten into you? No one's screaming, and we can't go to the city! You know that as well as I."

Twisting around, I looked at his deep brown eyes. The expression on my face must have shocked him for he immediately let go of my shoulder. "I can hear things that you can't, remember? Someone IS in trouble; I can feel it in my bones. Also, I have a feeling it's someone we know, and that they are in danger because of me. If you don't want to come along, at least don't tell Anne."

I pulled my bag out from under my bed, stuffing my bow and arrows inside of it. I slid the dagger into my pants pocket, and carefully retrieved the stone from under my bed. As I was doing this, I realized that my room had gotten brighter. Turning, I saw my old blanket lying on the floor, and Jason opening the window.

"What? We need a way to get out without Anne noticing, right?" Jason grinned at me, and shoved the window open all the way.

Quickly placing the stone in my bag, I gave a smile to Jason and mouthed the words 'Thank you' to him. Still smiling, I slipped out the window and landed softly on the ground. I held out my hand to Jason as he came through the window. We were lucky that Jason had decided to get dressed before he came into my room.

The sun was directly overhead, showing that it was high noon. Leaning on the tips of my feet, I looked around, sharpened my hearing, and sniffed the air. A charcoal, thick taste was in the air, and I could barely catch the scent of smoke. Smoke means fire, fire means burns. Crap.

Without waiting for Jason, I started running as fast as I could. After listening to Jason yell at me to slow down, I finally did, but I was still running faster then him. Soon enough I was able to see the smoke, and the fire that it was coming from. I stopped a few hundred feet away, staring with awe, and anger, at the scene in front of me.

Smoke billowed into the air, as a blaze of fire engulfed a tree and a field of grass. A small frail body of a girl lay in the middle of the fire, being burnt. A deafening roar filled the air. Reluctantly, I looked away from the body, tears building in my eyes, to see where the roar came from.

High in the sky, circling round and round was the outline of a black bird. Well, at least that's what it looked like at first glance, and without heightened senses, that's what it would have continued to look like. But slowly, I was able to make out more details, like the fact that it was a lot bigger then just a bird. Also, there was the vague outline of a person riding on it.

A revelation came over me. A dragon. I was staring at a dragon! A dragon, which just destroyed my life. An overwhelming hatred for that dragon welled inside of me as I glared up at it. By the time Jason reached me, the dragon had circled higher into the sky to the point where it looked like a speck.

"Oh no." Jason chocked on his words as he saw the body. Looking away from the sky, I ran to the body, not caring about the flames that scorched the ground, and now even the edges of my cloak.

I knelt next to the body, and slid my hands under her, heaving her into my arms. Once she was securely in my arms, I stood, whirled around, and ran out of the flames. When I got back to Jason, I laid the girl back on the ground, but held her head in my lap.

"How…How is she?" Jason stuttered, while stomping out one of the edges of my cloak which had caught on fire.

"She's still alive." I was barely able to make out the words. "Mia…I'm so sorry." A tear slid down my face as I looked at my best friend.

Burns ran the course of both her arms, hands, feet and part of her face. Blood dripped from a wound on the side of her head, and soaked her legs and stomach, as well as her left arm. Her shirt and pants were badly torn and burnt as well, with the ends of her hair being singed.

I leaned my head on her chest, and listened to her slow, faint heartbeat. Her intake of air was getting worse and worse as well. Another tear was streaming down the side of my face as I looked away from Mia and towards Jason. "Jason, I need you to run to the city and find someone that can help…" My voice was weak, and full of dread.

Jason tried to object, but ultimately agreed when he realized that I was actually crying. He ran at full speed towards Kuasta.

Another minute passed, and Mia managed to open her eyes. "K-Kyra? N-no! It's too da-da-dangerious for you! He w-w-will come b-back f-or you. Run…Run while you c-can." Her voice was weak and strained, she stuttered many times, but fear could still be detected in it.

"Mia, calm down, I'm okay. You need to stop talking and save your energy." I tried to hide the fear and sadness in my own voice, and it worked well enough so that Mia didn't panic too badly, though she still did.

"N-no! D-d-d-dragon! It w-wants the stone! R-run!" Mia started to hyperventilate. Her eyes started to turn white, and the blood pulsed violently out of her wound. Her light face began to turn even more pail, and her eyelids droop. My arms wrapped around her, pulling her into my lap and holding her close to me.

"Hush, it will be alright, just calm down. It's going to be okay, you'll see." I hid my face in her hair as the tears began to flow down my face again.

Mia lifted her hand to my face and ran it gently across my skin. I moved one of my hands, catching her hand, and holding it there. "Kyra…Thank you…So much, for being my friend." She talked quietly and slowly, all panic gone from her voice. I listened, and waited. Her breathing got slower, and slower, her heartbeat got slower and slower. Within a couple more minutes, her heart gave out, and stopped completely.

As Mia stopped breathing, I stopped my own breathing for a minute, crying softly into her hair. I had held my friend through her last minutes, and still, I held her lifeless body.

My tears slowed to a halt, just like Mia's heart had, another feeling filling the gap. Anger and frustration towards the dragon and rider that had killed my friend engulfed my thoughts. But, what could I do about it? I knew nothing about this dragon and its rider. I'd probably end up dead if I ever confronted them.

The thoughts slipped away as I heard footsteps approaching me. I squeezed Mia closer to me, not caring that my cloak was getting all bloody. I looked up to see Jason and walking towards me. was a bigger built man, had a head full of hair, and a heart as big and strong as the sun. He had helped our family through many tough times, and was one of the few people in the city of Kuasta that didn't mind my presence.

Jason knew immediately, by the look on my face, what had happened. He kneeled beside me, and placed a hand on my shoulder. He stared at Mia's lifeless body, and I could tell that he wanted so badly to cry, but he didn't want to cry in front of .

knelt in front of me, and examined Mia's body. "She's…" He stopped himself and shook his head, understanding that we already knew. "Come on kids, we can't stay here. We need to get her home, and alert someone that can put out that fire before it spreads too far." He reached across, offering to carry Mia.

I shook my head no, not being able to find words at first. After a moment of thought, I was able to speak, "No, please, I will carry her."

hesitated for a second, then stood up and nodded. He had witnessed some of my strength in the past and knew I was capable of carrying Mia. Plus, I was her best friend so there was no saying no to me. Jason stood up and walked towards as I carefully stood up, and shifted Mia so it was easier for me to carry her. Even though Mia weighed about average weight for a human her body would have been a bit of a burden for most normal humans to carry, yet I was able to carry her easily. Her body was like a feather to me; light, delicate and beautiful.

When we started walking, I shot a quick glance at Jason, who put up my hood for me. He moved it so it covered most of my face, then continued to walk beside me. I had him put up my hood for two reasons. First off, it was so that when we got to Kuasta, the people there wouldn't recognize me right away. Secondly, I couldn't hold the tears back anymore, and I didn't want anyone to see me cry.

The rest of the walk was awfully quiet. Once we finally reached Kuasta, people started to crowd around us and make an uproar. was able to make quiet a few of them leave us alone, but we still had a group of them following us. At one point, we stopped for a minute so that could inform one of his friends about the fire. The man quickly hurried off, taking a few other people with him.

At that point, I realized that there were a few more of Galbatorix's guards in the city than normal. The king despised all elves, and because of the citizens in the city, I was suspected of being an elf. I had to be extra careful around the guards. A few of them were already tagging along with the group of people that were following us.

I slowed to a halt after a few more steps. We were now in front of Mia's house. Mia's parents held a special grudge against me, for one reason or another. They were one of the few people that had remembered my real mother. They once said that she was a nice girl, but her head was always in space; always talking about stuff like magic, dragons and elves. Ironically, they were amongst some of the most horrible magic haters.

Krissy, Mia's mother, burst out of her house when she noticed that I was standing outside holding her daughter. A look of terror crossed her face as she realized that her daughter had been wounded. She ran up to me and tore her daughter out of my arms.

Grief and sadness overwhelmed Krissy's face as she began to cry while she checked for a pulse. "She's…She's dead! What did you do to her?" Her voice, full of agony, got louder and louder as she spoke. The people behind us started to make an uproar again, shoving closer to us.

Ren, Mia's father, slammed open the door, attracting even more attention to our little group. The crowd pushed closer, forming now so that Jason and seemed to be part of the crowd, which made me the odd ball out. Ren glared at me, while helping his wife to hold their daughter.

The guards that had been following us approached me now, there were five of them. They stopped a couple steps behind me and watched as Krissy began yelling again. "Show your face. I already know who you are, but I want the whole world to see the face of my daughter's killer! Someone, please, arrest her! SHE KILLED MY DAUGHTER!"

Reluctantly, I flipped my hood off my head, the blood on my hands staining the edges. The tears had stopped flowing from my eyes once we had reached Mai's house, so my face was dry and solemn. Everyone gasped as they realized who I was, though some smart people already knew. The guards flanked every side of me, two holding their swords towards me, and the other three pointing spears at me.

shouted out of outrage, "Do not point your weapons at a child!" Well, this was true, in a way. I was still only fifteen, but within a couple of months I would be sixteen, but I was still considered a child. "She has done nothing wrong! She was not the one to kill the child, in fact, she risked her life trying to save the girl!"

The guards ignored 's protest, and the guard that now stood in front of me spoke in a hard stern voice. "Are you Kyra? The daughter of the one called Aiedail. Were you the one to kill this child?"

I froze at his questions, trying to think a way out of the situation without lying. Jason was the one to speak out this time, "You don't have to answer them. Just don't say anything, you did nothing wrong."

The guard glared at Jason, and then waited for my answer. My heart and thoughts raced like crazy, while a few of the guards leaned forward, waiting for my answer. In slow, lifeless words, I spoke out, "Yes, I am Kyra, daughter of Aiedail. No, I did not kill Mia. She was my best friend, and I would have gladly taken her place if I could have."

I heard someone mutter something like, 'Yeah, we all would have been better off if you were the one dead, and Mia was still alive. She was such a sweet innocent girl; the only thing she ever did wrong was hang out with you.' I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed.

"Kyra, we were given orders from the king to arrest you, for crimes against the king, and crimes against all of Alagaësia. Please come with us quietly, or we will use force." All the guards took a step closer to me.

Great. I didn't even do anything wrong and they are going to arrest me. My head started pounding, mimicking my heart. Opening my eyes and looking around, I noticed one flaw in the way they were closing in on me.

A smile, that only touched my lips, never meeting my eyes, crossed my face, and I said, "Catch me if you can." This was going to be fun, hard, and very entertaining.

Turning to my right, I grabbed the end of one of the spears that was about five inches in front of me. Putting all of my weight and power into my arms, I flung myself into the air. The guard toppled forward at the force of my power. While in the air, I flipped myself so I was directly over the nearest guard, excluding the one that was trying to steady himself.

One of my feet landed on the head of the guard I was above, and I used the force to bounce me past him and onto the ground behind all of the guards, and to the side of the edge of the crowd. Bouncing up, I looked back at the guards, who were angrily gathering themselves, and trying to head after me.

Without loosing a second, I waved goodbye to Jason, and took off running as fast as I could away from the crowd of people. The guards took off after me, but their legs could not go as fast as mine. A thrill of energy coursed through my veins, and I bounded out of Kuasta.

While I was running, I saw the smoke from the fire dwindling as a few people poured buckets of water onto the fire. Temptation took over me, and instead of running back to my house, I took off towards the tree that was close to the spine. I skidded to a halt in front of the tree, noticing that the sun was beginning to set. It had been a long day, and a long walk to Kuasta, and an even longer run all the way here.

Not caring about the time, or the fact that I hadn't eaten all day, I hoisted myself into the tree, and climbed near the top, hiding myself in the branches. Slipping off one of the straps on my bag, I pulled it in front of me and took the stone out of it.

The bag slid back onto my back, and I cradled the stone in my arms, finding some comfort in holding it. Even though it was the stone that had caused Mia to be killed, and me to have to run from my own home, I couldn't help but to care about it. It was weird, I had no real reason to keep it, but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it.

As the orangey glow of the sun began to dim, I closed my eyes, drifting in and out of sleep. Bits and pieces of dreams flowed into my head while I drifted. The elven boy popped into my head; he was running, and he was fairly close to breaking out of the spine, and near my house too.

Something startled me, and I jumped out of the tree, landing softly on the ground. I walked the few steps to the spine, and stood there, watching and waiting. At first there was nothing, and then light footsteps could be heard.

One second I was standing there, watching the forest closely, and the next I was rolling on the ground a few feet away from where I was just standing. Something or someone ran right into me. The force of the collision sent me tumbling to the ground, and the stone was slipping out of my arms, so I tightened them.

I rolled onto my back to find the boy from my dream staring at me, he was now sitting up. His eyes widened when he saw my blood stained hands holding the stone. He took a few deep breaths, shook his head, and then flipped his hood all the way off. He ran a hand through his hair, and smiled lightly.

"I'm sorry for knocking you over; I was in a bit of a hurry." His voice had a sweet ring to it, and it sounded almost heavenly. "But you see, that thing you're holding belongs to me, and I really need it. Can you please give it to me?"

My heart leaped. It was so weird, talking to someone I had only seen in my dreams. His voice and smile were charming, and his pointed ears thrilled me. But, I knew this was a quality of the elves, and I wasn't going to give him the stone. "N-no."

"Why not? It belongs to me, and I need it. You have no right to keep it. I will use force to get it back if I have to and a mere human such as you can't over power me." He glared at me slightly, and stood up. My heart pounded again, and I moved one arm away from the stone to push myself into a sitting position.

The boys eyes widened, and he sounded shocked when he spoke next. "Are you hurt? You're covered in a lot of blood! Some of it looks fresh."

I shook my head slightly, "The only place I'm hurt is in my heart. Because of this, stone, or whatever it is, my best friend was killed today! She was attacked by a man and a black dragon. I only arrived in time to pull her out of the flames and hold her through her last minutes. I even had to carry her dead body all the way to her house."

"What's more, is that when I got there, I was accused of killing her, and was about to be arrested…Though, I would have been arrested anyway, just because of who I am, and because of who my mother is." I shook my head again, and forced myself to stand. The boy was only a couple of inches taller then me, and I was fairly tall for my age.

The boy looked shocked. He took a step backwards and covered his face with his hands. He stayed like that, perfectly quiet for several minutes. "A black dragon? Then it is true. Just who are you anyway?" He moved his hand from his face, but didn't look at me.

"Why don't you tell me? You obviously knew my mother, one way or another. Besides, look at my eyes, they are the same as yours…Even though I've never seen a human with eyes like these." I looked at him with hopeful eyes, hoping and praying that he would know something.

"Same eyes?" He muttered and looked at me. His eyes scanned my body, from toe to head. He looked over every detail, even stopping to look closer at my ears. He saved looking at my eyes for last, and stayed looking at them for many minutes.

His voice came then, and it startled me. It was different now, lighter and softer then before, and it had a more friendly touch to it. "You are the daughter of Aiedail." He stated it like a fact, and not like a question. "You are Kyra. Wow, I never thought I'd meet you here…or ever."

He moved his hand to his chest, and bowed; a simple yet significant gesture. "My lady, it is nice to meet you. Your mother was a kind woman, though I never really got the chance to meet her. But, well…This is dangerous. I should not be here talking to you, I should have left long ago. I thought hiding it near you mothers' grave would be a safe enough place, but I guess not. I ask you this now, will you please return to me the stone you are holding? It is something more precious and valuable then you could imagine."

He knew about my mother! He knew my name. What else did he know of me? My questions would have to wait, for there were more pressing matters at hand. "On three conditions, and even then you will not fully have it in your care. First off, take me with you, where ever it is that you're going. I cannot return home, so please, I ask you this for my own safety. Secondly, in our travels, I wish to keep a hold of the stone. And, lastly, could you tell me your name, since you know mine?"

His face twitched in anger at my requests. "My name is Dylan, and that is all you need to know. I cannot take you with me, I'm sorry. You must return home, I'm sure the people you live with are worried about you."

I grimaced. Part of me knew he was going to say something to that effect. "Dylan? Well, Dylan, like I said, I cannot return home. If I do, I will be arrested and taken to Galbatorix himself for suspicion of being part elf. I don't even know if I really am part elf, or what."

"Of course your part elf, the only one in existence right now, and one of the only few ever to have been born. Your mother had fallen in love with an elf, and he had fallen for her. So, you were born. Hmm…He will get mad at me though, if I take you from your home here…But he would be more upset about you being taken to Galbatorix. So, fine, you can come if you can keep up with me. And, I guess that you can keep the stone with you, but be extra careful with it. Let's go."

Dylan flipped his hood up and started towards the spine. When he noticed I wasn't following, he stopped and stared at me. "What? You said you wanted to come. So let's go."

"You knew my father? And who were you talking about when you said, 'he'? Oh, never mind, I'll question you later. But, um, I need to say goodbye to my foster brother, and get a few things from home. That's my house over there," I pointed to the house, which wasn't that far away, "It'll only take me a couple of minutes."

Without stopping to let him say no, I turned on my heels and ran. When I reached the house, I went around the back and stopped underneath Jason's window. I put the stone back in my bag, and then climbed threw the window. Jason was lying on his bed, and was surprised to see me.

It took me all of five minutes to explain what was going on to Jason. At first, he didn't want me to go, but he agreed when he realized it would be better that way. He snuck me into my room, and helped me to pack some of my cloths. I said goodbye to my room, gave Jason a hug, and wished him farewell.

By the time I got back to Dylan, even though it had only been a couple of minutes, it was completely dark out. My heart was torn; full of grief and sadness, or hatred and anger, and of excitement.

"Okay, let us be on our way." I smiled at Dylan, and without another word, we both took off running, side by side, into the spine.

* * *

End of Chapter 3! (( Up next; _Chapter 4: Truth to be Told. _))


	4. Chapter 4: Truth To Be Told

**A/N:** Chapter 4 is here! Hooray!! It's a little bit shorter then the last, but it has more connections to the actual Inheritence Cycle. (Sorta.) But, once again, if you have any questions, fill free to ask. ;)

* * *

Story:

* * *

Chapter 4: Truth to be told.

We ran for two and a half days straight, going from here to there, and not stopping for anything. Halfway through the third day, we stopped in a small clearing and made a miniature camp. All we did was make a small fire in the middle of the clearing, and gather some wild berries and fruit. Dylan didn't even mention hunting, which I was thankful for since I wasn't a meat eater.

Sitting in the middle of the clearing, I held the stone in my lap and stared at the fire. Dylan wanted to be able to see the Stone every once in a while to make sure it was safe, hence why I had it in my lap now.

Dylan sat next to me and handed me an apple. "Thanks." I muttered, taking the apple and savoring every bite of it. "So, would now be an appropriate time to ask about my father?"

Dylan sighed, "I guess, but I can't tell you much. He was a great elf, very brave and strong. He was helping out the Varden when he met your mother. She, at least to him, was very beautiful, even for a human. After spending some time with her, he fell in love with her, and she fell in love with him. Since she was only a human, he had no right to bring her to our secret home in the ancient forest."

"Which forest? And the Varden? Do you work for the Varden as well?" I interrupted him, and he shot me a stern glance. I shrugged, mouthed 'sorry' and stayed quiet.

"Well, since your part elf, I guess I can reveal to you our home. We elves have been living in the ancient forest of Du Weldenvarden for many generations now. We retreated and hid amongst the trees of the forest when the Dragon Riders fell. And yes, I work for the Varden. You've probably heard bad stories about the people of the Varden, but we are only fighting for the peace of Alagaësia, and to overthrow king Galbatorix."

"Now, since your father could not bring Aiedail to Du Weldenvarden, he took her to the Vardens hiding place. There, he be wedded her, angering many elves. He was an important elf you see, and the queen wanted him to marry within the elves. Even though many people were angry with his choice, Aiedail was eventually accepted, and was even allowed into Du Weldenvarden after making oaths in the ancient language. Most of the time, Aiedail traveled with your father to the Varden and back, and anywhere else he wanted to go."

"When Aiedail came impregnated with you, your father refused to let her go with him on anymore of his missions. Instead, she stayed with the Varden. Three months before you were due, your father went out on a dangerous mission, and never returned. Your mother, stricken with grief, left the Varden and travelled back to her home town, which I guess is Kuasta. I was never told, so I didn't know. But, the story says that she gave birth to you a few days before she arrived home. She got very sick from giving birth to you without any help, and died after giving you to a friend. Or, so the story goes."

My head spun with all the information I had just learned, but I had to press on. "You look barely two or three years older then me, how do you know all this? And what of the ancient language you spoke of?"

"Ah, I may only be two years older then you, but I have heard the tail countless times, by a man who was rather close to your mother and father. Maybe some day you will be able to meet him. And, for future reference, don't judge an elves age by the way he or she looks."

"Once an elf hits about adult hood, they stop physically changing for many, many years. And then, after that, their physical appearance changes to their own will, or at an extremely slow pace. For example, ten to fifteen years would be like half a day in our physical aging process. You will be much the same, but because of the human in you, you won't live quiet as long as a normal elf, but you will still outlast countless generations of humans. Well, your actually more elf then human because the elf gene is more dominate, and your mother…Changed while in Du Weldenvarden. But, that's a whole other story."

"As far as the Ancient Language goes its quiet simple. It is the original language, our, the elves, native language, and a language of power. It is tied directly to the very fabric of magic. One cannot lie while speaking in the ancient language, no matter how hard they try. Also, if one is an elf, a dragon rider, or one of the few special humans that can tap into magical powers, they can use the ancient language to use magic."

"Magic! Really? Can you use magic? Will you show me? And, by any chance, was the writing on my mother's grave in the ancient language?" Excitement filled my body, and I listened to all Dylan had to say.

"You're an elf, sorta, so you can do magic too. Ah, yes. An elf that was trying to watch over Aiedail on her journey home put that there. It says: From your Elf Friend: May you be shielded from misery, and the stars watch over you. May you find peace."

"Wow, that's such a nice thing to put on her grave. Wait, I can do magic to? Really?! Show me how!" I jumped up out of excitement and the stone rolled onto the ground.

Dylan rolled his eyes. "Not tonight. Magic is very dangerous. Let us sleep, it is getting late." Dylan laid down next to the fire, put his hands behind his head, and closed his eyes.

"You can't be asleep already." When no answer came, I gave up and laid down as well. I positioned myself on the other side of the fire from where Dylan was, and placed the stone next to my stomach. I curled around it, and let my thoughts drift.

I really was part elf, for my dad had been an elf! How exciting! But, then again, I would never have the chance to meet my mother or my father. Chances are that there is no one but me left in my family. These thoughts started to depress me, so I moved onto lighter thoughts.

Magic. This whole time, I had been connected to magic, and never once had I used it. Fifteen and a half years, and I hadn't used magic. Determination swelled up inside of me, and I decided that I would use magic in the morning.

Trying to empty my head, I rolled onto my back and looked at the sky. The sky was clear and the stars were brightening the sky, with only a sliver of the moon showing. Stretching one last time, I rolled onto my left side and held the stone tightly to my stomach. I stared into the flames of the fire and was just about to drift off into a dream land when a horrible screeching noise filled the air.

_*SCREECH*_

"What the-?" I stammered, the noise still ringing in my ears. I quickly sat up, and looked around, trying to figure out where the noise had come from, or what it was for that matter. Dylan was on his feet, staring at me with a slightly horrified look on his face. "Do you know what's going on?" I asked, lilting my head. The screeching filled the air again before he could answer.

_*SCREECH*_

This time, there was movement with the noise. The stone, which was on my lap, was now shaking violently. "The noise is coming from this?" It was more of a rhetorical question, but I asked it anyway. I wrapped my hands around the stone and held it up, my eyes staring at it intently.

"No, this can't be happening now! Kyra, drop it!" Dylan sounded slightly frightened, and was slightly shaking.

"What are you talking about? Are you okay?" I tried to stand up, but was forced down by another violent shake, and more screeching.

_*SCREECH*_

"Owe." A small crack appeared on the surface of the stone as I sat back up. The stone lurched out of my hands and rolled away from me, a few more cracks appearing on its surface. Dylan moved to stand next to me, and pulled me up so I was standing as well.

"No, no, no, no, no! This is not good! I can understand it hatching for you, but why here, why now? Can't it wait till we are somewhere safe, like Ellesméra?" Dylan's words both confused and excited me. It was hatching? That meant it was some kind of living creature, but what could possibly be born from something like that?

Dylan stretched his hand towards it, like he was going to touch it, but then pulled it back. "It's an egg? For what?" I couldn't help but to ask, my curiosity was getting the best of me.

"Wait and see. But, I'll tell you this now, your life is going to change more then you can imagine. Now, try not to freak out too much…Even though it shouldn't hatch yet." Dylan frowned, and then took a step away form me.

I was about to ask him another question, when part of the stone, no, egg, started to come off. A small section fell to the ground, and another and another. Soon, a small dark head popped out of the hole in the egg, and it was followed by a weirdly shaped body.

I took a step back in shock. A dragon was now standing in front of me. It seemed to be no larger then an average house cat. Though, when it stretched out its wings, it revealed that they were two to three times larger then its body. Spikes, evenly spaced, ran from its head to its tail. There was a larger then normal gap in the spikes where the neck connected to the shoulders.

The dragon's scales where a deep violet color, orange glints from the fire reflecting off of them. The thin wing membranes were a light sky blue color. I realized that the dragon's colors had matched the colors of its egg. The dragon blinked its eyes open, revealing that they were also a sky blue color, but they seemed to be very deep and knowledgeable.

The dragon stumbled a step forward, a step closer to me. "Go on, touch it. You know you want to." Dylan whispered to me, and gave me a light shove forward. I reached towards it with my left hand, which was shaking do to my frantic nerves. When I got only a couple of inches away from its head, the dragon did something unexpected.

Tongue rolling out of its mouth, it looked at me, and then it ran its tongue the length of my palm. A blast of icy energy flew up my arm, engulfing the rest of my body. Every part of my body felt as though it was on fire, all of me was in pain. Soon, I could not control my own body, and everything faded into darkness.

It felt as though I was drifting in the darkness for an eternity. The whole while, even though it seemed as though I was alone in the darkness, I could feel the presence of another life form in my mind, as though I was sharing my thoughts with someone, or something. Soon, warmth started to seep back into my limbs, my fingers twitched, and I snapped my eyes open.

The first thing I noticed was that I was staring at the sky. The stars had faded away, and the moon was starting to sink below the horizon with the sun starting to rise. The sky was light enough to see everything clearly, but it wasn't bright enough to be quiet day time.

The next thing I noticed was the fact that I was lying on the ground, but my head was raised up on something, and there was a slight pressure on my stomach. "Morning sleepy-head." Dylan's voice drifted softly into my ears, and I realized now that my head was on his lap. I tilted my head back to see him leaning over me, his face inches from mine.

"Whoa." My voice was rough, "Kind of a weird thing wake up to. What happened? My hand, it hurts." I looked down, and slightly jumped as I noticed what the pressure on my stomach was. The dragon had curled up on my stomach, and had gone to sleep. Getting over my startled feeling, I moved my left hand in front of my face so I could see why it hurt.

A silver glistening mark, kind of like a scar, was in the middle of my palm; it was shaped like a crescent moon, the tips facing towards my thumb. "That is called the gedwëy ignasia." Dylan informed me, "It's what links you to your dragon, and lets others know that you are a dragon rider. Hmm," He grabbed my hand and held it closer to his face, "Though, yours is slightly different. Normally they are oval or circle shaped…Maybe it's because you're a girl."

"I'm a dragon rider? How…When did this happen?!"

"Try, when the dragon hatched for you! What did you think that was? A picnic or something?"

"Hey, I thought a dragon could be born without someone having to be its rider! Why me? And, is there something wrong with me being a girl dragon rider?" I was a little offended, and my voice showed that.

"Oh no, I'm sorry if that bothered you. It's just, well, in the history of dragon riders, there has been no talk, stories, or even thoughts of a girl being a rider. Hmm, but, considering who your related to, it's not all that surprising. Though, everyone else might find it as a surprise. You know, my people have been looking for you for a long time. All elf children are valued greatly; even ones part human like yourself. But, because of your mother, father, and, err, yeah, we have been looking for you more then we normally would look for someone."

"You're hiding something from me. And my what? Oh, never mind, you wouldn't tell me anyway." I let out a long sigh, "Really? I may be the first female rider? That's really weird. Um, now, about the dragon, it's going to need more then just the fruit and berries we found, and how do we tell weather it's a guy or a gal?"

"Ah ha! I took the liberty of getting some meat for it while you two were sleeping!" He pulled out a few chunks of meat from behind him, and, like on cue, the dragon raised its head up off of me and stared, wide-eyed, at the food. "As for telling what gender it is, that will have to wait till about a month from now. They have no distinguishing marks for a while, and it will talk to you in due time."

"Talk to me?" My voice was skeptical. The dragon moved off of me and started snapping at Dylan's hands. I sat up and rubbed the dragons head.

"Here mash this in your hand, and then hold your hands flat to feed it to the dragon." Dylan demonstrated with a small piece, then handed me the rest. As I started mashing the meat in my hands, Dylan began to explain. "Dragons can't talk out loud like me and you, of course. But, they can communicate through the mind. We can do it too. All elves and dragon riders gain the ability to talk through the mind, as well as being able to invade the mind. It is a cruel thing to do to someone, unless they are willing of course."

"First you tell me I'm part elf, then you tell me I can do magic, next I'm a dragon rider, and now you tell me that I can talk through my mind, and invade others minds?! When will the insanity end? Or will I just get used to it all?" My eye twitched, and I feed the mashed meat to my dragon. Its tongue tickled as it licked my hands clean.

"Hahaha." Dylan shook as he laughed, which had a pure ring to it, like it was music. "You never quiet get used to it, but I'm pretty sure stuff like this will keep happening, so be prepared. Hmm…I'll teach you how to use your mind as a tool and weapon and what not later."

"Okay, and, thanks for taking care of me, and helping me. Ah, there's no more meat, and I think it's still hungry. We need more meat." I pulled the little dragon into my lap, and held it close to me. "But, don't you have somewhere to go, and fast?"

"Not just me, all of us. This concerns us all, but since we have a hatchling, we need to give it the chance to grow up before we get to where were going. So, we will go at a much slower pace then before. It'll be a little dangerous, so we will have to be very careful. And, for the meat, well, the first few days I will get it food, and you can feed it. But, within a week it should be able to get its own food. Dragons are fierce powerful creatures, even when they are young. Now, we'll stay in this clearing for the day, and move out tomorrow. You should get some more rest."

"But I don't think I could sleep with my mind so boggled. Can't you teach me something about the elves?" My mind was getting bogged down, but I wanted to learn as much as I could. I yawned slightly, stretching my arms, and then a thought hit me. "Can you sing? You should sing one of the songs the elves like to sing!"

Dylan groaned. "What? You want _me_ to sing? Well, it has been a long, long time since I've sung. And, I'll tell you a few things about the elves first, that way I can think of a song to sing."

"Now, the proper way to greet an elf is to hold ones middle an index finger to their lips and recite the following: Atra esterní ono thelduin, Atra du evarínya ono varda." Dylan then demonstrated, and explained the meaning of all the words, and why this was done.

"Sometimes, when one is being very courteous, they add the line 'Un atra mor'ranr lífa unin hjarta onr.' Most of the time that line is added when one is speaking with a noble of some sort. Oh, also, when in conversation, the person of lesser status speaks first, and the higher ranked second. I don't know why this is. Hmm, last thing I will say about this right now is thus."

"Instead of being part elf, its more like your part human, since the elf in you is more dominate, and there's more of it."

My eyebrow rose up in confusion, "How can I be more elf then human when my mom was a complete human, and my dad a complete elf?"

"Aw, well, you see, since the elf gene is more dominate, it takes over some of the human, turning it elven. Plus, the elders put elven blood in your mother in the hopes that it would extend her life, for the sake of your father. And being a dragon rider adds to you're elfishness."

I stopped to think about this, "You know, you never told me my father's name."

Dylan's eyes rose, as though he were surprised that I wanted to know my fathers name. "That is for another time. Anyway, you wanted me to sing? The song I'm going to sing is used to sing flowers into existence. Here:"

Dylan moved away from me slightly, and then rested his hands on the ground in front of him. Closing his eyes, he began to sing lightly, "Eldhrimner O Loivissa nuanen, dautr abr deloi/Eldhrimner nen ono weohnataí medh solus un thringa/Eldhrimner un fortha onr fëon vara/Wiol allr sjon."

The words fell from his lips like drops of water, water as pure as can be. The singing was music to my ears, and put me in a sort of trance, because it was so beautiful. Even more amazing, a flower started to grow right in front of Dylan's hands. As he repeated the lines of the song, which never ceased to amaze me, the flower grew more and more.

When Dylan stopped singing, the flower had fully bloomed, showing a beautiful deep blue colored lily, which was called a Loivissa. "That was wonderful. You're a great singer. Now, can you teach me how to do that?" I pointed at the flower, being a little impatient.

"Maybe some other time, but for now, I shall help you go to sleep. Lay down." His voice had changed again, and had a slight harsh tone to it. I overlooked the fact and laid down, and held the dragon close to me, which had already drifted off to sleep.

Dylan placed his right hand on my forehead, "Sleep well. Slytha." When he said 'Slytha' I knew he was using magic, and suddenly I became too tired to keep my eyes open, and immediately I started to fall asleep.

Moving to the other side of the flower, he stroked one of the petals, and took in one deep breath. A soft whisper came from him before he fell asleep, "I bet you could sing better then me, Kyra." His voice sounded almost hurt, but I couldn't tell, for I was already lost in the world of sleep.

Something cold touched my forehead, and my eyes, involuntarily, fluttered open. Dylan was kneeling in front of me, his hand on my forehead, and his lips curved in a small smile. "Ha-ha, I forgot that when you put someone to sleep using that much magic, you need to use magic to wake them back up. You could have slept forever if I hadn't remembered."

I sat up and rubbed my eyes, "Well, then next time, remember before you use magic on me, kay?" As my eyes adjusted to the light, I realized is was early morning. The dragon, my dragon, was curled up next to me stomach, softly sleeping. A pile of mashed, raw meat was only a couple of feet away from us.

Turning, my eyes widened in surprise, for the flower wasn't where it had been the night before; only a small pile of dirt lay where it had been. "Where'd the flower go?"

Dylan must have detected the sadness in my voice, for he immediately pulled the flower out of, what seemed like thin air, and showed it to me. It was just as beautiful as it had been the day before, but it seemed different. It sparkled softly in the light, and there were no roots protruding from the bottom.

"Since you liked it so much, I took the liberty of carefully plucking it from the ground, and using magic to turn it into a type of crystal. Now, it shall never wilt, and if dropped it will not break."

He handed it to me, and at first I was confused. He said that he had turned it into a type of crystal, but it felt as tender as a normal flower, and it kept all the textures of a normal flower. But, after a moment, I spotted the subtle differences; the small sparkle in the light, and the fact that neither the petals nor the stem would bend.

"Thanks." My voice was weak from sleep, but also full of surprise. I held the flower carefully in my hands, examining it once more in the light.

Dylan stood abruptly then, stretching, then boomed, "Well, we should get a move on. We have a long ways to go, and it would be great if we reached our first stop within a month and a half."

"Okay." I yawned. Rolling my shoulders and stretching my arms, I made a move to stand up, but realized that the dragon was still in my lap. My little amount of movement not only awoke the dragon, but rolled it from my lap and made it squeak like an overgrown mouse.

After that, we promptly packed up what little stuff we had out, got rid of the evidence that there was ever a fire, and headed back into the forest. Though, of course, we had to feed the, no, my, dragon some meat, and then I had to carry it in my arms because it didn't want to follow me.

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End of Chapter 4!~

-Reviews are kindly asked for! (Please?) ;)

_((Up next; Chapter 5: Rise and Fall.))_


	5. Chapter 5: Rise and Fall

**A/N:**Here is chapter 5! This chapter is my longest so far, about twice as long as the others. Oh, there's something important that I must say about this chapter:  
When you see a whole sentence, including the quotation marks, italicised, that means two or more people are talking through their thoughts. If there is a full sentence italicised without quotation marks, then it is just an individuals private thoughts. Example(s):  
_"This is someone talking to someone else through their thoughts."  
This is someone thinking to themselves._  
This is the chapter that introduces this concept, and following chapters will follow the same rule.  
Anyways, enjoy this chapter! And, once again, reviews are kindly asked for.

((This chapter has been updated as of 4/08/10))

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Story:

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Chapter 5: Rise and Fall.

We, the three of us that is, fell into a simple routine. Instead of going at a super fast pace throughout the day, we went at an easy walk. Occasionally we would stop for a short period of time, or speed of for a short length. Also, we were constantly playing with th-_my _dragon. Running in circles, playing tag, splashing each other in any stream or pond we pasted, or just hanging out with each other while resting.

For the first few days, Dylan and I took turns carrying my dragon, but soon enough it grew too big to actually carry. At that point we were skeptical that it would wonder off, but we found a fail-safe plan incase it tried that.

Dylan had been teaching me how to communicate with my mind, and I caught onto it pretty quickly. We were starting to talk to one another that way more often then physically talking. Also, we found out that my dragon responds very well when I talk to it telepathically. It doesn't quiet grasp words yet, but any pictures or feelings it knows full well what they mean. So, when it tries to wonder off, I use my mind to call it back.

As the days go by, the dragon began to easily hunt for itself, as was swiftly growing. Each day that passed, the connection between myself and the dragon seemed to grow stronger; I was beginning to understand its feelings as they formed, and we could distance ourselves a little more without losing contact.

By the end of the month the dragon had grown so much that our shoulders were almost on the same level. The little squeaks it once made were a thing of the past, and it now roared like a true dragon. The scales had hardened even more so, and were tougher then any armor I'd seen before, and its teeth were as sharp as daggers. It was truly a fierce animal that could stand up to any foe.

- - - - -

"It's so cool, watching it fly like that." I gasped. We were standing in a clearing, and the dragon had just taken to the sky. It was circling just about the tops of the trees, deep violet scales glistening in the sunlight. This wasn't its first flight, but every time I watched it, it amazed me just like the first time it took to the sky.

"Dragons are beautiful, amazing creatures." Dylan agreed. In one swift movement he sat on the ground next to me, legs crossed, and arms at his sides, resting on the ground.

"That they are." I nodded, my eyes never leaving my dragon. I stared in wonder as it circled the clearing once more.

"I was thinking, and, um…Kyra…" Dylan's voice floated through the air, and then something made me jump.

_"Kyra."_

My name wafted into my head, but it hadn't been Dylan saying it this time. A familiar feeling came with the word, the feeling I always got when talking to Dylan with my mind.

_"Kyra!"_

The voice repeated in my head, ringing loudly and clearly. It was a stern voice, but gentle all the same, with an air of superiority and knowledge wafting with it.

_"Kyra, are you watching me?"_

I gasped, and Dylan looked at me funny. It took me a few minutes to compose my self and respond. The voice repeated itself once more in those few minutes. _"Of course I'm watching you; my eyes haven't left you since you left the ground."_ My voice rang out in a choppy manner, but only my dragon could here what I was saying.

_"Yay! Am I doing alright?"_

_ "Of course you are, of course."_

_ "Silly Kyra."_

_ "What?"_ The conversation ended there, as the dragon drifted higher into the sky, and out of my sight.

"Um, Kyra? Are you okay? You seem to be in a sort of trance or something." Dylan's voice snapped me back to reality, and I happily spun around to face him.

"I'm more then okay!" I was slightly giddy, bouncing on the balls of my bare feet.

"What the heck just happened? Did you just have some weird fantasy or something? If so, I'm not sure I wanna hear it." He laughed at his own joke, but his lips barely curved into a smile.

"It talked to me! My dragon talked to me! This is so exciting! Does this mean we can give it a name now?"

"It talked to you? What did it say? And, that's what I was going to talk to you about. We need to think up some good names, and give it some choices."

"It asked me if I was watching it fly, then asked me if it was doing alright. It was kind of weird, hearing it talk." I sat down across from Dylan, and we began talking about the dragon, exactly what it said, and possible name choices for it.

- - - - -

An hour later and we were still sitting across from each other, conversing. Only now, we were just killing time, waiting for the dragon to come back from its hunting trip, which should be any minute now.

"So, you think we will be able to reach wherever it is that we are going in two or three weeks, like planned?" I asked, truly curious, but also just trying to keep the conversation going.

"Well, judging by where we seem to be now, yes, if we go at a normal pace. We might get there sooner if we are lucky. I think your dragon-"

And, he was cut off by a defining roar that filled the air and rung our ears for what felt like eternity and that ended whatever Dylan was about to say. The next thing I knew, my dragon was circling the clearing again, and then diving down for a landing. The gust from it's wings whipped at our faces and shoved us slightly, causing us to cover our faces for a few moments.

Then, the gust stopped, and the dragon was folding up its wings only a couple feet from us. Swiftly, I bounded up and over to the dragon and hugged its neck tightly. _"Yay, your back."_ My 'voice' was full of enthusiasm, and in return the dragon lifted its head up higher, causing me to be lifted a few inches off the ground. We stayed like that for but a moment; its head lifted high in the air, me clinging to its neck, until it tired and placed me back onto the ground.

"Okay, I know you understand what I'm saying now, and for Dylan's sake I shall speak out loud. Can you speak to the both of us?" I rested my hand on it's shoulder, and leaned against its warm body.

_"Maybe?"_

"Wow!" Dylan exclaimed as he walked towards us, a genuine smile on his face. Obviously he had heard the dragon in his head as well. "So, shall we start? We have some name choices for you. You're gonna have to decide which one you like, and let us know, because it's going to be your name, alright?"

_"Alright."_

"Now, first name; Greth." I started.

_"No."_

"Scylla?" Dylan intervened.

_"No."_

"Azhi?" I offered. We'd continue like this; Dylan and I switching giving names.

_"No."_

"Hatori?" Yet, another 'No' was given. This continued on for another thirty or so names. Each time or so we would switch between offering a guy name, to offering a gal name since we didn't know what it's gender was yet. With each name we gave, our hopes were shot down. The dragon didn't even seem at all interested in any of the names we offered. This was starting to get hopeless. We were down to two names.

"Elliot?" Dylan drummed out dully. He was now sitting on the ground, head rested against the dragons chest, for the dragon was now lying on the ground, and I was sitting on its back.

"Man, were almost out now." I yawned, "Here, last one. I really like this one, and thought it was the best, so I saved it for last. Okay, what do you think of the name Nyte? Spelt N-Y-T-E instead of the other two ways of spelling the word 'night.' So, are you a Nyte?"

There was a long pause. _"Yes."_

"Yes?!" Dylan and I shouted in unison. "Finally, a name for you! Man, your hard to name. Picky, aren't you?"

_"Well, if I'm going to be stuck with the same name for the rest of my life, I might as well be picky and choose one I like, yes?"_

"Pfft. Lucky. We don't get to choose our own names. We have no say. It sucks." I whined softly, and Dylan nodded in reply.

_"But you have such a pretty name, Kyra. It suits you well. Do you not like it?"_

"I like it just fine, and thanks for the compliment. You have such a big vocabulary for only just learning how to talk. Is that normal?"

_"How should I know what normal is for a dragon? I've never met any other dragon before. Besides, listening to you two talk so much helped me out a lot."_

"Well, gee, I'm glad to be so helpful." Dylan exaggerated his enthusiasm.

"Anyway, we should get a move on. But, I am glad we finally found a name for you, Nyte. It suits you well; your scales are the color of the night sky, in a way."

"So!" I hopped off of Nyte, and landed softly on the ground. "Off we go into the wild yonder, to continue our perilous journey." All three of us busted into laughter over my silly words. I wasn't even sure why I said it; I was just so happy I couldn't resist saying something so weird.

- - - - -

A week passed and all seemed to going just fine. Our moods lifted greatly after naming my dragon, and finding out that it was a guy. Nyte had been talking a lot to me since that first day, about anything and everything. Every chance we got, he'd have me teach him new words, and what they meant. By the end of the week, his vocabulary was almost as big as mine was.

And even now, he was asking me more and more questions; except for now they weren't just about words, they were about anything and everything that had to do with me.

_"Come on Nyte, you have total access to all my memories, yet you still have to ask me every little thing?" _There was a dulled anger presence in my voice, but we both knew that I wasn't really angry.

_"Where would the fun in that be? Besides, it's rude to invade a person's private memories." _Nyte started laughing at that, even though I couldn't understand as to why he was laughing. "_Anyway, I'm closing in on my prey, and I know you don't like the feelings you get when I catch it, so I'll talk to you later. Oh and right now would probably be a good time to practice."_

_ "Sure sure, whatever. Bu'Bye." _I yawned, and leaned back on the huge rock I was sitting beside. I glanced around, and let the cool breeze flow threw my hair. Dylan was off scouting at the moment, and Nyte was hunting, so I was left all to my lonesome self.

_Hmm, might as well practice as Nyte said._ I thought to myself, and then rummaged through my bag. A few mornings ago Dylan had given me a small wooden flute.

Dylan had handed it to me saying, "It's an old family air-loom, and works really well even though its ancient…probably because it was made with magic. Anyway, I can't play it at all, so I want you to have it. Take care of it, and practice whenever you get the chance to, 'kay?"

And now seemed like the perfect chance to play. Once I found it, I pulled it out and held it up to the sky to examine it. The whole thing was made out of a dark smooth wood, which looked dark enough to have been painted, even though it wasn't. Small holes ran down one side of it, and on the other side was a carving of a dragon breathing fire.

Gingerly, I held the flue to my mouth and placed my fingers on the proper holes. Never once had I actually ever played a flute before, but musical instruments had always piqued my interest, so I began to play, with no regard for what I was actually doing. I just let my fingers flow with the music, doing this and that, and trying my best to make it actually sound nice.

After a few minutes of playing, a couple of birds started whistling to the tune. Just letting the music flow through my body helped to ease me; calming my whole body and spirit, and making it feel as though all my worries and troubles had disappeared.

A couple minutes passed and I stopped to evaluate my playing and catch a breath. But, something seemed wrong. Not only did the birds stop whistling, they squawked and flew away in a frenzy.

"My, my, that was quiet nice to listen to. You did very well for your first time playing." A rough voice came from off to the side, a few feet away, and just out of my current field of vision.

Startled by the strange voice, I jumped up and spun around, my arms held protectively in front of my body. Just a couple feet away stood a tall, shaggy brown haired man. He seemed to be only a couple inches taller then me, and only a few years older then me as well. His face was calm, but serious all the same, "Ha-ha. I know you're surprised, but you can at least say something. I mean, I came all the way just to see you."

"What do you want?" I growled through gritted teeth. This man obviously knew who I was, and even though he seemed to be friendly he had a dark atmosphere surrounding him. He also came out of nowhere, and without me even sensing it. _"Nyte? Dylan? Can you guys here me? I need a little help over here. Like, NOW."_ The voice in my head was frantic, and I was hoping one, or both, would here me.

"Now, now, that's no way to act to a messenger. Just here me out, alright? Will you listen?" The man held up his hands to show that they were empty. Scanning him quickly, I noticed something strange…but I wasn't sure what it was.

I didn't trust myself to speak anymore, so I just nodded my head. "The king has sent me on a mission to bring you to meet him in Urû'baen. He wishes for you to come peacefully if possible."

_"Kyra, what's going on? Is something wrong?"_ Dylan's voice suddenly jabbed into my head.

"So, would you come with me to Urû'baen?" The man continued on, not knowing I was listening to two people at the moment.

_"There's some strange man here. He says that the king sent him to bring me back to Urû'baen with him."_ I paused to think of an answer for the man.

_"Shit. I'll be there in five minutes, try to keep him occupied until then. And, don't say ANYTHING about Nyte, got it?"_

_ "Right. Just hurry up." _I relaxed my stance slightly, to let the man think I was warming up to him or something. "Why does the king want to see me of all people? I should be rather insignificant to him."

"Ah, but don't you know? You're no normal human. Technically, you're an elf…well, part elf. The king has heard much about you from his soldiers in Kuasta. He sees great promise in making you one of his allies…especially after learning about your lineage."

"What the heck? Did everyone but me know that I was part elf? Seriously, I only learned about a month or so ago. I don't even know my lineage, except for who my mother was, and a tiny bit about my father. How is it that the king, and even you, whom I've never met before, knows about me?"

"Ah, an interesting question. If you were to come with me to the king, you will learn much about yourself that you don't know. And, I promise, it will take but a mere day to get there, and you will even have the privilege of riding on a dragon." A smirk appeared on his face as he tried to bribe me.

"Wait." I took in a deep breath, "You have a dragon? What color…?" My voice trailed off as my hands, with the flute still in them, started to shake.

"I do not at this time, but the king has gotten into the habit of letting me ride his dragon this last month or so, since he never leaves Urû'baen anymore. The dragon is black."

The shaking of my hands turned into a tremble, and my breathing quickened. "Bastard." I muttered, knowing that he could here it. "You killed her. You're the bastard that killed my best friend." I closed my eyes, probably not a smart move, to keep myself from boiling over too much.

"A bastard I may be, but who are you talking about? I have killed so many that at this point it's hard to remember the death of a random individual." His voice seemed to be closer now.

"Damn it." I took in a sharp breath. "A month and a half ago, while you were in Kuasta, you and that dragon killed my best friend. She didn't even do anything wrong. You bastard." I kept telling myself to blame him, but I knew it was partially my fault.

"Ah, I see. That was a-"

"Get away from her!" Dylans voice boomed, causing my eyes to flicker open. I now realized that the man was only a couple of inches away.

"If you refuse to come with me, girl, I will force you to come." The man's voice was suddenly hostile, and in the blink of an eye he reached forward and grabbed my right arm.

Then, multiple things happened at once. I flinched away from the man, but his grasp was too strong. He pulled me closer to his body, and Dylan lunged towards him. All of a sudden, I was on the ground, not even knowing what had happened. Dylan and the stranger were on the ground a few feet away from me, and there was a puddle of blood next to them. I began to worry, for I couldn't tell whose blood it was, but I could also feel a sharp pain in my right arm.

With another flurry of movement the lightning fast fight had ended. Dylan was kneeling next to me, and the stranger was backing off. "I did not come to fight this time. But, beware; the next time I come, I will take you with me, Kyra daughter of Aiedail." He shouted madly then spun and ran into the forest.

"What. The. Heck?" I muttered, rubbing my hand on my forehead, and pushing myself into a seated position. The wooden flute was still in my left hand, completely unscathed and covering my gedwëy ignasia.

Suddenly I remembered the blood. "You're not hurt, are you?!"

Dylan shook his head. "I caught him by surprise; the blood you see is his." A faint smile touched his lips for a mere moment, but was quickly covered by a disgusted look. "I can't believe that bastard tried to take you to Galbatorix. And he doesn't even know about Nyte!"

"Well, he learned about the purple egg, but he thinks it's with the Varden still. Hmm, I guess you are a really important person either way. But now that they know you are being guided and protected by an elf, they will change their strategies. They'll do anything to keep you away from the rest of the elves. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap."

"Yeesh, watch your language." My joking was half-hearted, for I was angry too. "Who was he anyway? I know that he's the one that killed Mia…But what is his name?"

"Murtagh, son of Morzan, and slave to none other then Galbatorix himself, and even then, it is by force that he says in service to him. There have only been rumors and whispers of him, and those only started a couple days before I found you. The rumor goes that Galbatorix had enslaved him using his true name, and that he even lets him ride his dragon, even though there's a chance that one of the kings two dragon egg's will hatch for him soon."

"Murtagh? Wait, the son of Morzan? THE Morzan?" As I questioned Dylan, a weird feeling came over me. Nyte! I had completely forgotten to contact him. _"Hey, Nyte! Can you hear me, or are you still eating?"_

"Yes, that Morzan. I know that it's hard to believe that one of the forsworn had a child, especially since there was no talk or record of it. Only Galbatorix new of his existence until others found out a short time ago."

_"Huh, sounds like an interesting chat you're having." _Nyte added in, finally speaking to me again.

_"Wait, have you just been listening this whole time? Since when?!"_ I tried to keep my cool, and adverted my attention back to my conversation with Dylan. "Wait, earlier you said that Murtagh didn't know that we had Nyte's egg, and thought that it was still with the Varden. But after Mia was attacked, she said that they, the dragon and Murtagh, were looking for it. But how could they have known we had it at that point?"

"_Ha-ha, there's no reason for you to be angry with me. I was listening to your surroundings since you started playing the flute. Which, if I may, was quite beautifully played."_

"Hmm," Dylan mulled over his answer for a moment. "That's a good question. And, the only explanation I can think of at the moment is thus: The 'black' dragon Murtagh was riding is the kings' dragon, known as Shruikan. Shruikan is an old and powerful dragon. He may have sensed the presence of the dragon egg when they were by Kuasta looking for you the first time. It was probably by chance that they happened to cross Mia, who might have still smelled like the egg. Well, that's my guess."

"_That sounds reasonable enough. Our kind has a unique smell that humans can't sense, and lingers around those we've been near." _Nyte interjected before I could reply to either of them.

"_Hey! If you were listening from the beginning, why didn't you respond when I called for help, or come?"_

_ "Well, I was eating when you first called, then Dylan warned me to stay away, and I trust him, sorta, so I listened."_

_ "You could have at least said something to me! Besides, everything's fine now, and it's getting dark, so you can come now." _I took a couple deep breaths, and then turned back to Dylan. "Well, I guess it makes sense."

_"There's a clearing a little ways ahead of you guys, so I'll meet you there."_ Nyte added, and then sent me images of a small clearing with a few fallen trees around there, and then a path that led from there to where we were.

"Nyte will be waiting for us just up ahead, so lets go." My thoughts were muddled, and I didn't feel like talking anymore; I felt as though my mouth would betray me if I tried to speak.

I pushed myself into an upright position, but immediately collapsed on the ground again. My right arm was throbbing with a tremendous amount of pain. I looked down to see a trail of blood seeping down my arm. Suddenly my muddled thoughts became crystal clear as I realized that Murtagh had managed to hurt me. "Dang it."

Dylan followed my gaze and gasped when he saw the blood. "Shit!" He carefully pulled out my right arm so he could examine the wound. There were three deep scratches about two inches long, and a quarter inch deep running parallel to the ground across my upper arm. They were all less then a quarter inch apart from one another. "Dammit! These have magic in them. They may take a long time to heal."

"I have some cloth that we can use as a bandage in my bag, if you could get it for me." Before I had even finished speaking Dylan had moved me into a sitting position, and had retrieved my bag. He shuffled through it until he found the rolled up cloth. With swift yet careful movements he bandaged my whole upper arm, which managed to stop the bleeding. "Thanks……Lets go."

Hastily I stuffed the flute in my bag, retrieved it from Dylan, and slung the bag onto my shoulders as I was already heading down the unmarked path. Every little movement sent sharp pains into my right arm, but I ignored it as best as I could. It was hard to tell if Dylan was following because he was so quiet, but frankly at this point I didn't care; I just wanted to be alone.

- - - - -

"Ah, the lake is just up ahead, we are only a few days away now." Dylan stammered, walking a few feet ahead of me. These were the first words I had heard from him since he explained about Murtagh and Shruikan two nights ago. Neither of us had been in the mood to talk until now and even now we didn't really feel like it.

"The lake? What lake? You never mentioned anything about a lake before." I shook my head in irritation.

_"A lake? This is so cool! I haven't seen anything except clearings, trees and creeks yet, so I can't wait!"_ Nyte excitedly said, while squeezing between trees as he followed behind us.

"Ah, but haven't you ever heard of Leona Lake before? That is the lake we are now at!" Dylan moved a few branches aside and motioned for Nyte and I to walk forward.

The first thing I noticed was that the sun was much brighter when there were absolutely no trees in the way. It took a second for my eyes to adjust, but once they did, the sight was beautiful.

A huge field stretched in front of us, various wild flowers covering the ground, and a river fifty feet or so ahead of us. Across the river and a ways away was an untraveled road that seemed to lead to a commonly traveled road, but that road was out of sight. Looking to the right, I let my gaze follow the flow of the river which emptied into a huge lake, which stretched beyond sight. The surface of the lake was clear as glass, and just as smooth, everywhere but the opening where the river met with it causing a swirling commotion within the water.

"WOW!" I exclaimed, the beauty of it all automatically lifting my spirits. Tumbling forward, I fell face first into the flowers and started rolling around, though it pained me to do so. I shrugged my backpack off so I could roll easier, and avoid crushing my right arm too much, then started laughing like a little kid.

"Ha-ha-ha!" Dylan started laughing with me, or was he laughing at me? "You're such a little kid inside, aren't you?"

_"She's perfectly fine that way."_ Nyte bellowed, then lunged into the air; barely spreading his wings, making one flap, and then diving into the river.

The water droplets from his splash reached us and went even farther then that. "Ha-ha-ha!" Dylan and I laughed again. A few moments later I rolled onto my stomach and smelled a few of the flowers. Their aroma was magnificent; I had never seen or smelt flowers like them before.

Nyte clawed his way out of the river and shook his whole body like a cat. This caused more water to spray across us, but we only got a little wet. _"That was refreshing! But anyway, would you mind explaining things to us now? Seriously, you haven't told us where we are going, or why."_

"Oh alright, I'll explain things now." Dylan pouted slightly, moving to sit next to me as I continued to lie on the ground. Nyte curled up beside us. "I can't explain everything yet, but you must have gathered by now that I am an agent of the Varden, yes?"

"Well, sure, since it's the only thing that makes sense. You've talked about them a few times, and have obviously shown your hatred for the empire. Besides, the first time we had a real conversation you told me that you were working for the Varden." I lazily replied.

"Then you know what the Varden is, good. Anyway, I was sent on a couple missions. The first had to do with Nyte's egg, which ended when he hatched, sorta. Now, the second mission is a rescue mission."

"One of our elite men was captured and locked up in Dras-Leona. That is where we are headed. Our mission is to enter Dras-Leona undetected and safely rescue the prisoner, and hopefully without drawing too much attention to ourselves. Now, to do that, Nyte won't be able to come into the city with us. In fact, from this point on, you won't be able to travel with us, Nyte."

_"WHAT?!"_ Nyte roared while jumping up. The intensity of his roar caused me to flinch back.

"I'm really sorry Nyte, but we can't just bring you into the city when we are trying to keep you a secret, and by nightfall Kyra and I will be in view of humans. We can't risk you being seen by anyone, so you will have to fly high above us in the clouds. When there aren't any clouds, just make sure your high enough so no one will recognize you as a dragon."

I sniffled a little. "That's no fair! I don't want to be separated from Nyte!" I jumped up and hugged Nyte's neck. After a couple more sniffles I asked a simple question, "How long will we be apart?"

"If we don't sleep and keep traveling we should be to Dras-Leona within two days, maybe less. Then, once there we will have to spend two to four days there, depending on how quickly we can locate and free our comrade. So a total of four to six days, maybe a little less, maybe a little more."

"Four to six days? This is no fair! What happens if someone finds Nyte when we aren't with him?" Just the thought of it started to make me panic.

"It's okay, just calm down." Dylan sighed, "Nyte's a good, strong, smart dragon and can take care of himself for a few days. Don't you have any faith in him?"

"Of course I have faith in him…but I don't want anything bad to happen to him." I sadly pouted.

"_Thanks Kyra," _Nyte said; the first words since his outburst, _"For caring for me so much. You're so sweet. But, Dylan is right. We have to do it this way, and I will be okay by myself. Our connection is fairly strong at this point, so we should be able to at least keep in contact."_

"You agree with me? Yay! So you're not mad at me?" Dylan let out a sigh of relief.

_"I never said I wasn't mad at you. Also, if anything bad happens to Kyra, AT ALL, while I'm away from her, I will personally blame you, hunt you down, tare you limb from limb and burn your bloody remains, got it?"_

Nyte's voice was so stern and serious that there was no way that he could have been joking. "Yikes! I promise I will take care of her for you, almighty powerful dragon." Dylan made a slight bow, and then stood up.

_ "Get going before I change my mind and kill you now."_

"Yeesh Nyte, so vicious. When did you learn to be so violent?" I laughed, and clung to his neck even more so.

_"What are you talking about? It's in my nature to be violent and vicious."_ Nyte laughed, and then licked the side of my face with just the tip of his tongue.

"Goodbye Nyte, I love you." I squeezed once more, then let go, and patted the side of his neck. He had grown more in the last two weeks. His shoulder was now coming close to being level with my head. "Take care."

_"I love you too, my little flower."_ Nyte sighed, and took a few steps backwards before unfolding his wings and taking to the sky. I stood there, watching in awe as he rose higher and higher into the sky, and then turned to just a speck.

"Which way are we headed?" I asked, while grabbing my bag and slinging it onto my back. Dylan pointed towards the dirt road across the river, and before he had even lowered his hand I was off and running.

"Wait up!" Dylan yelled in surprise. He pushed himself to run as quickly as he could, be he couldn't quiet catch up to me. It surprised him that even though I was only a half elf I was just as fast, or maybe even a little faster then him. But, ever since Nyte hatched for me, I felt as though I had been slowing gaining strength and speed. Was that part of being a dragon rider?

I was only a couple feet away from the river, and had no intentions of stopping to cross it. No, instead I used the force of my speed to leap across the river. Once across I stopped and turned around to watch Dylan repeat me feat, but not as gracefully.

He must have decided to follow my example on a whim instead of thinking of it before hand because his foot hit the edge of the river bank. This made him fall on his face.

"Nice one, genius." I laughed as Dylan stood and whipped the dirt off his clothes. Then a thought floated into my head as I looked at Dylan's cloak. "Oh, right, I guess I should wear mine too, huh?"

"Hey, I was just following you!" Dylan swept his hands over his clothes again. "Huh? Oh, yes, that would probably be a good idea." He swiftly flipped his hood up. "Your ears are pointed, and will get even more so because you are a rider, but for now your hair covers them enough. But, it's safest if you keep your hood up."

"For me though, my ears are so pointed and hair so short that I will be keeping my hood up as much as possible. When I absolutely have to, I will use magic to morph my ears to look human."

I just nodded, and pulled my blood stained, faded green cloak from my bag and put it on. Upon flipping the hood up, I could smell the dried blood on it, and it started to make me nauseous. "Once we are in the city, I may have to get a new cloak."

"And a pair of shoes. I can't believe you've gone this whole time, in the Spine, with no shoes. Don't your feet hurt?"

"Huh? Me, wear shoes…are you insane? I hate shoes, and my feet are perfectly fine."

"If you say so." Dylan stretched and then took off running, obviously trying to prove that he was faster.

He didn't catch me by surprise, so I was able to spin around and run after him. In mere moments I was able to catch up to him. _"How come you're so fast? No fair, you're only a halfling." _Dylan pouted to me, speaking through mind for we were running to fast to speak aloud.

_"I guess that I'm just a natural or something." _I smirked, _"What, does it bug Dyl that a mere halfling can run as fast, and maybe even faster then him?"_

_ "Don't call me D-I-L-L! I hate that! Plus, you can probably only run this fast because of the added benefits of being a dragon rider. I can still run faster than this."_

_ "Than prove it to me, Dyl." _I taunted him, using the nickname that he obviously didn't like. With my words, I started to run faster, actually putting some energy into it.

_ "Grr."_ Dylan growled as he started to run faster as well. For a good couple of hours we raced each other on the beaten path, staying closely matched the whole while. For the most part I stayed just a few inches ahead of him, but then he would start to pass me, then I him, and so on and so forth.

True to his words, we were able to see humans traveling along the road by dusk, and by nightfall we had caught up to them. At first we continued running at full speed for the humans didn't really notice us, but eventually a few of them started to catch on to us. When this happened, we slowed down to a quick walk.

Off the side of the road, many people had stopped to camp for the night, and only a few travelers remained on the trail; those who had horses to ride. Those with horses and those setting up camp stared at us suspiciously as we kept up our brisk walk.

By around midnight, any and all people that had been around us had retired for the night, which gave us the chance to continue running again. So, we ran for the rest of the night, until dawn when other travelers joined the road. All day we traveled at a good speed and by noon the city was in easy view.

Ram-shackled buildings sat on crooked streets that surrounded the wall that led to the main part of the city. The wall was a dirty, pale yellow wall of daubed mud. It was a sad site, but something else in the distance caught my attention.

"What's that?" I quietly asked Dylan while I pointed to the object in question. Several miles east of the city a mountain of bare rock speared the sky with spires and columns. The sides were near-vertical and rose up out of the ground like a bone.

Dylan's eyes barely followed my finger, already knowing what it was that I was pointing at. His voice came in a subtle whisper, "That is Helgrind, which in our language means 'The gates of Death.' Sometimes our people call it 'The gates of Hell' instead. Either way, they are befitting names for such a malevolent thing."

And thus was the end of our conversation on Helgrind. But, as we continued towards Dras-Leona, the road became more and more flooded with people. The road was filled with people carting goods into the city, a few horsemen riding here and there, but mostly just random travelers, and we seemed to be just random travelers.

The flood of people caused us to slow down to a normal walk. Though, even with a slow preceding we were able to near the gates by late afternoon. Ten soldiers were stationed on either side of the gates, casually scanning the crowd of people. We stayed in the middle of the crowd, making it harder for us to be spotted and or stopped. We were among the only few that actually had their hoods up so it made us look more suspicious, but luckily we were able to pass through without incident.

"We need to make our way to the center of the city as quickly as possible." Dylan muttered to me as I got my first real look at the city.

The houses were very tall and thin to make up for the lack of space, and most of them were shoved together. Thus, there were very few ally-ways. Nearly all of the buildings were constructed of the same dark brown wood, and the air reeked like a sewer. Ragged children ran between a few of the houses, and deformed beggars crouched next to the entrance gates, pleading for money.

"This place is horrible." I didn't like the feel of this place. It was as though my feet were starting to meld into the ground, as if the ground was eating me alive.

"Yes. But it gets better once you move farther in." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me through the crowds of people until we reached wealthier parts of the city. The buildings here were a bit better shaped, and looked healthier. The people in this area were also better dressed and there weren't as many big mobs of people.

Dylan stopped in front of an Inn called the Golden Globe. The place was cheap, and would do for our short stay. "Do you have any money?" I wondered out loud.

"I have plenty enough for this place. Come on." He pulled me inside and a guy at the counter greeted us. Dylan paid for a room for one, while I stood quietly by his side.

"Ya know, I'm not sa'pose to let yungin's rent rooms. 'Specially two of em'. And why's ya got's ya hood's up like that. It makes ya look suspicious. And there be blood on this ones'. What be goin' on here?" The man asked. He had jet black, short hair, and he was missing a few teeth.

"I'm sorry sir." Dylan reached back to take off his hood and my eyes widened. He hadn't placed the spell on his ears yet, and I was rather worried about weather or not he could do it in such a short time.

All my worrying was for nothing because when Dylan pulled his hood back his ears looked like any normal persons ears. Relived, I lowered my hood and remained quiet. I was letting Dylan do all the talking for now.

"Ah, a red head. I haven't seen many of em' around lately. Tis a strange site. What are ya two yungin's doin' here any-ways? Ya's better have a good story or's ya not gonna have a room." He leaned over his counter to get a better look at us, seemingly forgetting about the blood.

Dylan was at a lose of words for a moment so I cut in, making my voice sound as sweet and innocent as I could, "Sir, we've been traveling together for some time now. You see, neither of us has any family left, so we decided to be our own family. These last few days have been really hard on us and we need a place to stay for a few days. We don't have enough money for two rooms, or even a big room, but we don't mind sharing."

When I was done, I lowered my head slightly and tried to act like an innocent little kid. Dylan stared at me wide eyes for a second then lowered his head to act innocent as well. "Please, sir. Only for a few days, we won't cause any trouble." I pleaded in an even softer and quieter tone.

The man leaned back and scratched the side of his head. "I guess I'd have ta be heartless to send's ya's away now. Fine, ya's can stay. Just don't go causin' trouble, and stay's out of the bar." He sighed in defeat and handed me a key to a room as Dylan gave him the money.

"Thank you sir." We both chimed as we headed off to find our room. The room was on the second floor, farthest door to the right. Inside consisted of one bed crammed against the wall and a rickety table next to it.

"That was a nice save Kyra." Dylan grinned as he rubbed his ears and whispered something that turned his ears back to normal.

"Thanks, but I only had to save us because you had a brain fart." I sat on the floor and leaned against the wall.

"That's not nice, ya know!" We both burst out into laughter for a moment.

"Aw," I whipped away a tear from my cheek, "So, what now? We still have a couple of hours left today. But, not much. I am tired from our run/walk journey."

"Hmm…" Dylan sat on the edge of the bed and pressed a hand to his forehead for a moment. "You barely contacted Nyte during our journey, huh?"

"Nyte said that we needed to concentrate on our running and that he needed to concentrate on his flying. So, no, we didn't really talk at all." I sighed, and reached out with my mind until I felt Nyte's presence again.

"Well, then get him up to date. But, you shouldn't contact him or stay linked to him too much while we are here. There is word of magicians here, and if any of them felt the presence of your mind, which is more noticeable the farther you stretch your link, then we could be in a lot of trouble." Dylan rolled then flopped on the bed.

"Then, we shall sleep so we can rise early in the morning. Do you want the bed, or will you sleep on the floor?" There was a slight pause, and then Dylan jumped out of the bed, holding a squirming bug. "On second thought, maybe we should both sleep on the floor."

I laughed and then nodded, not willing to launch myself into a conversation with Dylan when I was ready to talk to Nyte. _"Nyte! How have you been? Has your flight gone well?"_

_ "Oh little flower, it is nice to hear from you again. My flight went well, and I have found a nice place not far from, but far enough, from the city to rest for as long as I want. If anyone dares to travel too close and discover me, I shall just eat them."_

_ "Ewe! Don't eat them! They probably won't taste good." _I started laughing at the though of Nyte trying to eat someone just to discover how horrible they taste.

_"Your right. Silly little humans probably don't taste very well…But I think I'd be able to stomach it. Anyway, tell me everything that's happened."_

As I started to explain everything that happened to Nyte, I took my cape off, placed my bag carefully in the corner, and laid down to use it as a pillow. I draped the cloak over me like a blanket. Dylan imitated me, but his sleeping spot was about a foot and a half away from mine.

As I finished explaining the day, we looped into a casual conversation, including Dylan into the conversation to make it more interesting. After a while all three of us became too tired to talk any longer, so we all said our good-nights.

"_Goodnight Dyl."_ I muttered in my head to Dylan, so that Nyte could hear the nick-name as well.

_"Ugh. Please don't call me that. I really don't like it." _Dylan moaned.

_ "But why? Dyl is a really good nickname!"_ I countered.

"_Yeah," _Nyte butted in, _"Dyl's so much funner to say."_

_"Fine, whatever. Goodnight"._

_ "Night-night Dyl, sleep well."_ Nyte teased before severing his link with Dylan, but keeping his link with me. I severed my link with Dylan as well so Nyte and I could talk privately. _"Kyra, you've only known him for a little over a month now, and you completely trust him, huh?"_

The question was so randomly thrown out there that it took me a moment to respond. I lightly closed my eyes before answering, _"Yes, of course. He's helped me out a whole lot, so why shouldn't I trust him by now?"_

_"I've only been in your life for about as long as him, but you have more reason to trust me. You know pretty much everything there is to know about me, especially considering there isn't a whole lot to me just yet."_

I shook my head. _"I don't get it. What are you saying?"_

_ "What I'm saying is that you shouldn't so easily trust people! It could be dangerous. You two may be good friends by now, but you know virtually nothing about him. Not his past, his true motive for caring for you, his real reason for having my egg and then trying to keep it at the bottom of a lake, or even why you are where you are now. Sure you're on a rescue mission, but why?" _

_ "Why did they send an elf, who it could risk their entire life's work if he were to be caught, on a mission to rescue some random person? Who are you trying to save? My point is that you can't completely trust him yet; you don't even know what he's capable of yet."_

_ "Nyte, stop worrying so much. He has his reasons for not sharing too much information. Just as you are suspicious of him, he is probably still somewhat suspicious of us. Most likely, the information you want is not his to freely give out. Besides, I have reason enough to trust him. He's helped me through many things, explained so much to me, saved me from Murtagh, and has helped me to take care of you. Now please, just stop worrying and go to sleep."_

_ "But…"_

_ "Nyte, please. Just give it a rest. I need to sleep, and so do you. So, goodnight, Nyte."_ I rolled onto my side and quietly sighed.

_"Goodnight, my little flower."_ Nyte whispered, and then severed our connection. It wasn't long after that before I drifted off to sleep, graciously accepting the relief it brought with it.

That night I dreamt for the first time in a long time; it wasn't a normal dream either, it was one of _those_ dreams, even though it was eerily short.

- - - - -

The sun was setting, sinking farther and farther beneath the tree line, casting one last ray of light over the sky, making it look as though the world was being set on fire. The edge of the spine became darker, as a small line of mist and fog rolled out from it. Leaning against a nearby tree was one lone figure, dressed in all black, golden hair tinted orange from the twilight light. His dark brown eyes were saddened and a bloody gash ran along his left cheek bone. It a small, strained and pained voice he whispered, _"Kyra…"_ There was a deep expression of pain on his face as he closed his eyes.

As Jason closed his eyes I opened mine, and sat up, sweat dripping across my face. It couldn't have been more then an hour since I had first fallen asleep. The image of Jason passed through my head again and again as I sat there, nearly breathless. I couldn't make head or tail of the dream; I only knew that something was wrong…horribly wrong.

After about half an hour I laid back down, and tried to go to sleep, pushing the ghostly image of Jason out of my head.

* * *

End of Chapter 5! (This chapter is kind of confusing, so if you have any questions, just ask.)

( Up next: _Chapter 6: Mission Chaos._) 


	6. Chapter 6: Mission Chaos

**A/N:**Chapter 6 is now here! Hooray! ^-^ Hmm, I didn't even realize until I went to upload this chapter that it is even longer then chapter 5. I guess I just get a little carried away sometimes. :3  
Anyways, this chapter may get a little bit confusing, and there are some things that won't be explained until later chapter. (Like this beginning part.)  
Feel free to ask any questions, and like always, reviews are kindly asked for.

((Updated as of 4/08/10))

* * *

Story:

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Chapter 6: Mission Chaos.

The morning brought about a flurry of colors as the blinds covering the small window flittered open. I rolled over with a groan, not wanting to get up, but the sun was shining right on my face. "Get up already! I've been trying to wake you for a half hour now. Get up!" Dylan growled as he crouched next to me.

I wasn't sure what it was, maybe the fact that I was always easy to wake, or the unfamiliar tone in Dylan's voice, but, whatever it was, something was odd. Rolling over again I opened my eyes to find Dylan's face inches from mine, a scowl spreading across it.

"What? Don't get so mad just because I overslept a little for once." I poked the tip of his nose with my right forefinger, and when his expression didn't lighten, I knew something was up.

"That's the thing! You don't ever oversleep, and since when have you ever talked in your sleep? In the last month I haven't heard you talk once in your sleep and all of a sudden last night you were talking like crazy! And weird stuff too!" Dylan sprang up and walked around the room in a small circle.

I paused to think about what he said, my still tired brain not fully comprehending what he had just said. "Wha?"

"You kept talking about Murtagh, and someone named Thorn. You also kept saying that they are going to kill us. What's going on?"

I stared at him blankly, trying to ever remember saying those words, or even remember who this Thorn was. My mind was totally empty. "The only times I've ever talked in my sleep before are when I have my strange dreams, but I don't remember dreaming last night, and I _always_ remember my strange dreams." It was then that I remembered the dream that I had, and I almost winced at the memory. Though, the dream I had was of Jason, not of Murtagh, or anyone else. Maybe I dreamed after I fell back asleep, and didn't remember it. Either way, I decided to keep the Jason Dream to myself.

"Strange dreams? Explain to me what you mean by this." Dylan basically commanded as he stopped pacing and sat down next to me. I pulled myself into a sitting position before explaining.

"Dreams I have of events that have already happened or have yet to happen. When I was little, I had them all the time about really random things like Jason skinning his knee somehow, and then the next day it happening, stuff like that. As I got older, the dreams became scarcer, yet more important. That's how I knew you were coming. A dream showed you drop off Nyte's egg in that pond, and according to the time frame, that was probably a dream of the past at the time I had it. Then, later, I dreamed of you running out of the spine near my house, and then a few minutes later you crashed into me. Stuff like that. I can never control when I have them, how long they will last, what they will be about, or weather it's from the past of future, and sometimes they cause me to talk in my sleep. Thus, I call them my strange dreams. Do you get it?"

Dylan was quiet, his face emotionless for a few minutes, and when he finally spoke, it just confused me, "I see. This must be part of that, but if so our lives are probably in more danger then we would have guessed. We should get moving now."

Standing up he held his hand out to me, and pulled me up into a standing position when I grabbed it. "What are you talking about?"

"It shall all be explained in due time. But basically, we shouldn't spend more then just a couple of days here, and we need to find where they are keeping our person. To do so we shall have to split up."

"'Our person'? Can't you just say his/her name? Besides, how am I supposed to look for someone whom I don't know what they look like, nor their name?"

"I can't give you _his_ name yet for he wouldn't want me to. As for a description…you can't really have that either. For now just try to find out where they might be keeping any prisoners from the Varden. If you happen to make it to such a place, there should be only one prisoner. He shall not listen to you unless you speak words of the ancient language first. Say 'Atra nosu waíse fricaya' when you meet with him. If he doesn't react, then it is not whom your looking for. If it is indeed the right person, he shall reply either in the ancient language, or by saying 'who sent you?' Give him my name, do not ask for his, tell him we shall rescue him shortly, and then return to me as quickly as you can. Understood?"

I blinked a few times and nodded, "I think so. But I'm not even sure where to begin looking."

Dylan reached into his pocket and pulled out some coins then dropped them into my hands. "Start off with buying some useful stuff, like a new cloak or something. Get some food, and whatever else we will need. Try to make casual conversation with those you buy from or pass by. Don't let them know you are part of the Varden, but find some way to get information out of them. If all else fails, head towards the palace in the middle of town."

"The palace is heavily guarded but you will probably get the best most accurate information there. Be careful if you end up heading that way. We meet back here at dusk, got it?"

This time I fully understood, and just nodded and grabbed my backpack. Placing the coins in my pocket I left the room without another word to Dylan.

For hours I roamed around the big city, at first trying not to get lost. Mysterious figures loomed down every tiny alley-way, pick-pocketers lumbered down the streets waiting for the perfect chance to nab your money, traders had shops on every corner, and this was all in the thin ring of buildings by the gates. The inner part of the city was much cleaner, with more rich people and guards everywhere.

For the most part I stuck to the middle area: not quiet so close to the gates but not so far into the depths of the inner part of the city. I bought a few tid-bits of food and a pair of fingerless gloves so that I could more easily hide the silvery mark on my hand. At first it was hard to make casual conversation with those around me and those I bought from, but after an hour or so I started to get a hang of it. I'd start the conversation about wanting to know more about the city, and then slowly led up to asking about the whereabouts' of prisoners.

The owner of the fruit and veggie stand that I visited didn't seem to know anything about any prisoners anywhere, but maybe that was because he was a grouchy old man. Though, after hours of 'casual conversation' while buying a few things all I learned was that there was a small prison closer to the center of the city but there was no news of a captured Varden member being inside.

Reluctantly I gave up trying to stay out of the center of the city and eventually found myself standing a few feet away from the gate of the palace. I watched as guards circled around the inside of the gate, their presence keeping civilians from coming too close to the gates or even the fencing. Occasionally nicely dressed people traveled between the gates, but never did someone so poorly dressed as myself go through one of them. It made me wonder if I would be able to get in without getting in any trouble.

One step at a time I walked closer to the fence, but I stayed away from the nearest gate. The closest guard, stationed by the gate to my left, eyed me with much curiosity as I made my slow approach towards the fence.

Once at the fence I carefully placed my hands on it then leaned my body onto it. My intent was to get a better look and seem like an innocent, envious child at the same time. It was easy to look the part of someone in need of much money; my t-shirt and pants were ragged, torn and faded, and the old cloak that I wore on my shoulders was blood stained. My hair fell in a messy blob around my shoulders, and my eyes widened with curiosity. I was hoping that no one would see me as a threat and would let me be.

Another few minutes passed and a man exited the palace, more simply dressed then the others I've seen exit. He was wearing a large, plain brown tunic that covered the top of his black trousers. His hair was a shaggy length and was a gray color even though he didn't look a day over thirty, and small black glasses were placed on his face. He was heading towards the gate to my left until he noticed my staring eyes.

Quickly I adverted my eyes but that didn't stop him from changing his direction and heading towards me. "Hello, can I help you with something?" The tone of his voice surprised me. I was expecting him to be angry, or at least irritated, but his voice was calm and soft, and sounded as though he genuinely wanted to help me.

Raising my eyes to meet his gaze I found myself staring at dark, chocolate-brown eyes. "Um…" Was all I was able to say for my voice seemed to of eluded me.

"Ah, pardon me, I should introduce myself. I am Tamar, and I live and work here in the palace. You seem rather interested in the palace…would you like to come in?" His voice was soft and gentle, but I was unsure as to weather or not I could trust him.

I raised my eyes slightly, "……" That was all I was able to say. For some reason, I still couldn't find my voice…there was just something about him that struck a nerve in me, but it didn't seem like that bad of a feeling.

"Ah, sorry if I seem intrusive or strange, I don't blame you even the slightest if you don't trust me." He bowed his head slightly, "It's just that I've been looking for someone who would be willing to help me with my work, but I would rather prefer someone who isn't from this place. By the way you're dressed, and the way you are acting right now, this _leaning_ against the fence, shows me that you are not from around here. Is this correct?"

"Yes sir." My voice squeaked a little as I answered him. But, my heart also pounded with excitement. This was my chance to get into the palace without having to cause a scene or any kind of trouble. If I played this right, this could work.

"Would you be interested in the job then? Mind you, I will pay you, but I won't be able to pay you that much. I do a lot of research on lots of separate things, and I'm sure it would be a good learning experience for you. Do you know how to read and write?" He stepped up right to the fence, so he was less then a foot away from me.

"Yes sir." My voice was more strong, more confident now. "I've been reading and writing for a long time now. Sir, what kind of things would I be doing if I were to accept your offer?"

"You can read and write? I must admit, fair lady, that this surprises me. It is not often that ones as young as yourself know how to read and write, especially someone who looks as though they are extremely poor and travels a lot. Even most adults are illiterate." He chuckled slightly to himself, which startled me for some reason. "You will be helping me to read through books, sorting things, cleaning, random odd-jobs, and the like. I will also take time to show you around the palace, and teach you many things. Ah, may I ask what your name is?"

I nodded my head and looked up at him, "I'm Kyra, pleased to meet you, sir. But, um…I do travel a lot, and I won't be staying here for that long. Will you still be willing to let me work for you for the time being?"

"It is nice to meet you too, young Kyra. Hmm, do you have any clue how long you will be staying here? I had a feeling that your stay here would be short, and that's fine…"

"We don't want to stay here for more than a few days or so. Four or five tops, but that's only if we can successfully complete what we came here for. With the way things are going, it may take longer then we'd like." I lowered my head slightly, the fake sadness creeping into real sadness.

"I see. You say, we? Who else is with you, and would I be able to me them? And, four or five days will be plenty. If you are having troubles with your goal, I may be able to help you; I am very knowledgeable when it comes to Dras-Leona. That is, if you'd be willing to let me help you." I looked up to see a grin on his face.

"I…I'm traveling with a friend. He is out and about the city right now, but he is rather untrusting of other people. So, I think it'd be best if you not meet him, sir. Actually, I have full confidence that you would be able to help us, but I'm not sure if you'd be fully willing to help us once you knew what our goal is." I stared into his eyes, and tried to choose my words carefully, "Can we talk about that later? I'd like to help you with your work first."

"Ah, of course. It is very rude of me, to keep you standing on that side of the fence. Walk along side me, even though the fence is in-between us." And at that, he turned and started walking along the fence, to the nearest gate. "John, if you would." Tamar's voice was stronger, and more commanding when we reached the gate and he had the solider open it.

The solider hesitated as he saw me waiting patiently for him to open the gate. He seemed almost concerned that Tamar would be allowing me to enter. But, knowing that Tamar was waiting, he quickly unlocked the gate and held it open. "Please, come in." Tamar said, in his more gentle voice.

Gingerly, I walked into the palace grounds. Tamar led me through the grounds, and into the first door of the palace. Down the long hallway, left at the second turn, and to the last door on that hallway is where Tamar led me. It was a cozy room, not too large, but not too small. It was almost set up as an office, but had a bit of a lounge theme to it. A desk was positioned in the far corned of the room, a bookshelf opposite of it. There were only two chairs in the room, but there was a fire place built in the other corner. Stacks of paper filled most of the desk, along with a few ink pens and a candle.

During the course of the next few hours not much actually happened. Tamar had me seated and was explaining to me that he was the one that kept all the records of all important events, and so on. He spent a while explaining how to tell one type of document from another, and how to categorize it based on its date, importance, meaning, and more.

After an hour or so of paperwork, Tamar decided that he would let me read some of his books. He started with a couple of books on the history of Alagaësia, and moved onto a few that didn't make much sense. He was patient, and very good at explaining things that I didn't understand. It was hard to take in and remember all that I had learned over the past few hours, but I was doing my best to keep it all organized in my head. Tamar's kindness, gentleness, patience, and soothing voice helped me to concentrate better, and as the time passed I couldn't help but to trust him.

Everything about him was welcoming, and the way he acted made him seem as though we had known each other for years. The atmosphere was comfortable, and Tamar seemed as though he wanted to do anything to help me. As the day grew later we drew to a slow yet steady pace of switching between paperwork and reading.

"Hmm, it's starting to get late." Tamar noted while nodding to the window. Looking up from the book I was reading I noted that it was less than an hour away from dusk. "Would now be a good time to discuss your goal?"

I sighed, and nodded, closing up the book and putting it away. "I need to be able to trust you, fully and completely, be able to trust you with my life, for that is what I am about to do. Will I be able to trust you? Are you completely loyal to the king, and would you turn me in for what I'm about to tell you? Or would you listen to a so-called-traitor such as myself, and be willing to help me?"

Tamar stood up and paced the room. "I can gather from your questions that you are not a supporter of the king. Thus, I shall trust you with this knowledge in hopes that you will not tell anyone else; I am, by means of extension, part of the Varden. The king is but a dictator that should be tossed aside as soon as possible. Will you be willing to trust me now that I have trusted you?"

_Nyte, please don't be angry with me._ I could still feel a slight connection with him, and I knew that he'd be able to sense my intentions. Deliberately moving slowly, I walked up to Tamar and had him hold his hands up. I placed my left hand, palm up in his hands. "Take off the glove, carefully, please. You are a very knowledgeable man, so you should recognize it right away."

With gentle, yet swift hands, he pulled the black and red trimmed fingerless glove off of my hand. "The gedwëy ignasia!" His gasp seemed to fill the room.

- - - - -

I ran through the streets with my hood on, as sweat rolled down the side of my head. _Man, I am so late. Dylan is going to kill me._ My thoughts scrambled as I rounded a corner. I had lost track of what time it was, then had forgotten were exactly the Golden Globe was. My head was still spinning with thoughts of what had happened, but right now it was more important to find my way back then to think about stuff.

"Crud. Were is it? It feel's like I've been here already." I muttered as I came to a halt in the middle of the street and looked around. Most of the buildings were closed for the night, and there weren't many people wandering around the streets. I looked up to see the moon rising even higher into the sky. How late was I?

I had no idea of which part of the city I was currently in, but I didn't stay still for long. The few wanders stared at me and it sent a chill down my back. Rounding another corner, I spotted the sign for the Golden Globe at the end of the road. Dylan was impatiently tapping his foot on the ground, and his arms were crossed as he stood next to the door.

"Where have you been? What happened? You were supposed to be here over an hour ago!" Dylan growled as I skidded to a halt. I didn't say anything as he towed me inside of the Inn by my arm. The few people that were still in the common area stared at us but we ignored them and headed straight for the room. Dylan his fist against the wall once we were in the room. He was acting like an angry older brother.

"I was so worried! There are countless people in this city that could have badly hurt you. I don't care what your explanation is; we are going to travel the city together tomorrow." Dylan was foaming with anger as he plopped onto the bed. He held his head in his hands as he shook it back and forth. He had been over precautious since Murtagh had attached us. My arm still ached with pain, even now, as I sat down and leaned against the wall.

"You're overreacting. I can take care of myself just fine. I would have been here on time if I hadn't gotten lost; this place is just so darn confusing." I shouldered off my bag and pulled out the items I had bought earlier in the day; some food, and two wool blankets.

"Here, I saved some food for you." I held it towards him, but he only glared at it. "Come on, it's really yummy. I have some good info for you too." I pushed the food foreword more and he grabbed it, but didn't start eating yet.

"First, how's your arm? It's been well over a week since you got hurt, and I keep forgetting to ask you about it. Let me see how it's doing." He set his food down on the bed and moved to kneel in front of me.

He moved my cloak aside and pulled up my sleeve to reveal the blood soaked bandage. He was surprised to see that it was still a bright red color, indicating that it had been soaked with fresh blood. As he unwrapped it I couldn't help but to wince slightly. "Whoa." I forced myself to look down at the wound as Dylan examined it. "We need to get this washed out."

I nodded in agreement as I looked at the wound. There was dried blood crusted around each of the three scratches, and some on the insides of them, but each of them still had a little bit of fresh blood running from them.

Carefully, Dylan hoisted me up and led me by my elbow out of the room and down the stairs. The man's eyes at the main counter widened as he saw Dylan towing me down the stairs, with blood dripping out of my arm and a blood soaked cloth in Dylan's other had. "Is there a wash-room around here?" Dylan asked politely.

"Dow' the hall 'a 'way over yonder." The man pointed to a small hallway at the other end of the room.

"Thank you." Dylan nodded at the man and pulled me along to the wash-room. I was honestly surprised that the man hadn't asked any questions about what was going on. "I bewitched him so to speak." Dylan whispered to me, making the surprised feeling go away.

Once in the wash-room Dylan rubbed some clean water over the cuts to wash away the dried blood and dirt. The water made it feel as though each of the three cuts had been set on fire. "Hmm, maybe I can try magic. Usually I let these kinds of things heal on their own, but this can get really bad since it keeps bleeding like this." And as he spoke, as though to prove him right, a stream of blood flowed from my arm and dripped onto the floor. Hovering his hand over the top of the wound, he whispered, "Waíse Heill." A warm glow emitted from his hand and more blood seemed to pulse out of the wound. As he pulled his hand away, the wounds seemed to have become deeper, and much worse. They already felt almost twice as worse, and the pain was spreading throughout my body.

"Thanks." I growled through gritted teeth as I dropped down to one knee.

"Sorry! I thought magic would help! But, it seems as though Murtagh somehow managed to curse the wound. This can get very bad. For now, all we can do is wrap it up, clean it every once in a while, and hope it heals." Dylan rinsed the blood soaked cloth as he apologized to me. The blood dripped out of the wet cloth, but even once it was all gone the cloth hadn't returned to its original color; it was more of a pinkish-brown color now, stained from the blood.

After securely wrapping the cloth around my arm and helping me up, Dylan towed me back to the room. As I slid to the floor Dylan pressed his hand to the door and whispered, "Atra nosu waíse vardo fra eld hórnya."

Dylan noticed as my head tilted in confusion. He slid to the floor and leaned against the wall next to me, "It is so that no one can hear our conversation. 'Let us be warded from listeners.' Now, back to business. You said that you found a good amount of information? I couldn't get any information from anyone, though I did manage to find all the exits easily. How did you manage to buy all of that and get good information?" His voice was almost gloomy now.

I wanted to smile, but his gloomy aura stopped me. "It didn't take me long to buy all that I bought. And, I wasn't getting any good information at all from the people that I talked to. So, I decided to go check out the palace. I was just watching the little activity going on inside the gated area when one of the people that work there invited me inside. His name is Tamar, and he needed some help with some paper work that had gotten backed up."

Dylan cocked his head and raised his eyebrow, and that made me smile. "I learned a lot of useful information while I worked with him. One of the more helpful pieces of info I learned is that all high priority prisoners are being kept in the dungeon right below the palace! And, I've been invited to return to the palace tomorrow and the next day. I have to go alone tomorrow, or else I won't be let in. But, I may be able to convince them to let you come along the day after."

"Kyra, you're amazing! If you must go alone tomorrow, then you shall. Just try to be back on time, so that I won't have to get all worried. Hmm, what will you two be doing tomorrow in the palace, more work?" Dylan grinned, not caring to stay angry at me anymore.

"Tamar is going to give me a full blown tour of the palace, we are even going to places were guest's aren't normally allowed, including the dungeon." I looked out the window for a few minutes then turned back to Dylan, who had retrieved the food from the bed, found it intact, and had begun eating it. "Since I've done all of this, you need to do something to compensate for you not doing anything."

"Hmm? What am I supposed to do when you have everything covered so well?" He popped the last piece of food into his mouth then laid out on the floor.

"For starters, you can buy your own back pack so I don't have to carry around both of the blankets, and the water canisters." I laughed as I dropped the wool blanket onto his stomach, and pulled out a water canister and dropped it on his head.

"Owe." Dylan started to wine until he actually looked at what I dropped on him. "Hey, these are pretty cool. Are they for me?" He examined the silver water canister and placed it on the floor next to him. Next he picked up the blanket and unrolled it.

"Duh. It was your money; if I didn't get you something with it I would have felt selfish." I unrolled my blanket, "But my blanket is better!" My blanket was a dark violet color like Nyte's scales; where as Dylan's blanket was a dark blue.

"No it's not!" Dylan laughed and then blew out the candle, which he had placed between us earlier. "We have a long day tomorrow, we should get some rest."

I had to agree. My arm was throbbing worse then normal since Dylan had attempted to heal it. I laid the blanket on top of me and rolled onto my side. "Dylan, you haven't told me anything about your friend yet. What's he like?"

Dylan was already curled up in his blankets, and as I asked the questions his breathing quickened. "He is my best friend. We grew up together…did everything together."

"Wait, does this mean he's an elf?! They never said anything about keeping an elf here." This made no sense. If his friend was an elf, then he would have been moved to Urû'baen, and forced to see the King himself.

"Yes, he's an elf. He's much better at using magic then myself, so I'm sure that he's been able to hide the fact that he is an elf. As far as I know, he was captured about a month and a half before I ran into you, so about three months ago….Can we go to sleep now?" He rolled over, to try and avoid any more of my questions.

I wasn't about to give up that easily, but, I guessed that most of it could wait until morning, or some other time. "Can I at least know his name now?"

"His name is Jak." Dylan whispered, finally giving into me, and then fell asleep.

I folded my arms behind my head and stared at the ceiling. There was a lot about today that I hadn't told Dylan. For now, it was best that he didn't know most of it. Tamar had found out that I was a dragon rider, but has yet to find out that I'm part elf. He agreed to help me after I explained why I was really here. I hadn't mentioned Dylan's name to him yet, for fear that he might betray me. If that were to happen, at least Dylan wouldn't get caught.

I thought of all the things that I had learned within the short time that I was with Tamar. He had explained more about the gedwëy ignasia and why mine might be different. I learned that in all of the history there has only been one violet colored dragon other then my own, but any information on it was lost long ago. Also, never before had there been a dragon whom their eyes didn't match their scales.

Replaying images of him handing me random books and speaking to me, I rolled back onto my side and closed my eyes.

_"Kyra, are you awake?"_ Nyte's voice flooded into my head.

"_Yes, I'm still awake,"_ I answered, _"How are you?"_

_ "Just wonderful." _He paused, _"Okay, I'm rather lonely. But, I did listen in on some of your conversations today." _

_ "Hey! That stuff is private," _I accused him, _"Awe well, how else were you supposed to know what was going on? What all do you know about today?"_

Nyte growled, "_Well, I know that you trusted a complete stranger and even told him about me! That is not something that you should be doing Kyra! For all you know, he could be using you and has already told the ruler of this city, or even sent a message to the king himself!"_

_ "Nyte, stop worrying so much. I didn't really have a choice. This was the only way for me to learn where Jak was." _I tossed over to my other side, a frown on my face.

"_You always have a choice!" _

_ "Yes, but this was the best possible choice. Any other choice and we could have been stuck here for weeks, and someone could have found you, and things would get very chaotic. Sometimes one has to take risks to get the job done"._

_ "Grr."_ Nyte was quiet for a while after that. "_We both need our sleep, so I just want to say; Don't go trusting complete strangers anymore, and I will be listening to you all day tomorrow, and watching over you through our link, okay?"_

_ "That's fine with me. We are connected; we are partners, and friends. Sleep well Nyte."_

_ "Sleep well Kyra, and stay safe."_ Nyte hummed. I pushed out all of my thoughts, and went to sleep.

When morning came Dylan seemed much happier then usual. We didn't speak of Jak, nor his brother. Instead we went down to the common area of the Golden Globe and had a bite to eat together. Even Nyte joined in on the conversation. Over time, Dylan and I had learned how to talk to each other and Nyte easily through our thoughts. So, to everyone in the inn, it looked like Dylan and I were just enjoying the food and nothing else. It was fun to still be able to talk about anything and just have fun with it.

"Well, I need to pick up a few things, and you should probably head to work soon." Dylan said out loud as we finished our food. We walked out of the Golden Globe together then went our separate ways.

This time I was careful to remember the way so that I wouldn't get lost. When I got up to the gate the guard there recognized me and held the gate open as Tamar had instructed him to do when I returned. The guard eyed the bandage on my right arm that was more easily seen with the shorter sleeved shirt I was wearing today.

"Ma'am, are you injured?" The guard seemed concerned for me, as though he actually knew and cared for me.

"Awe, yes, it has been that way for a while now. No need to worry about me." My voice was quiet as I passed through the gate and stopped to look at the guard.

"If it's been that way for a while now, why does it look as though it's still bleeding?" The guard nodded to my arm, where a small streak of blood had escaped the wrapping and was slowly seeping down my arm.

"It hasn't healed at all since I got it well over a week ago." I leaned closer to the guard and whispered, "Can you keep a secret?"

His eyes widened as he nodded his head. "What all do you know about a man named Murtagh?"

_"Kyra! What did I tell you about trusting complete strangers?"_ Nyte growled into my head.

"Well, he is a 'loyal' servant of the king. Bound to him is a red hatchling dragon, and he himself is bound to the king. He has no means of disobeying the king, for the king has complete control over him through the means of dark magic. That's pretty much all I know. Why?" The guards' voice was slightly stern, as though he disliked just speaking of Murtagh.

_"Nyte, trust me, it will be alright. Look, I've already learned more info about Murtagh, like the fact that he does have a dragon. But by the sounds of things the dragon was too young for him to use just yet."_ I pushed Nyte's thoughts out of my head, but allowed him to listen. "Bound to the king? It seems you know more about him then I do. But…I bet you haven't seen him in person."

The man gasped and leaned back. "Almost no one has. Those who have usually don't live to tell the tail. Most don't even know about him…I only know because I'm a palace guard."

"Well," I leaned closer to him again so that no one could possibly hear, "I met him about a week ago or so." The man glanced at my arm, making the connection, "Yup. He did this to me when I refused to go with him. For some reason, it will not heal, and perpetually feels as though it's on fire. But, Murtagh is still looking for me. That is why I am here. Tamar is going to help me, but could you please not tell anyone? I don't want him getting in trouble."

"Sir Tamar will be helping you? I know that he has a good heart, but he's being risky. Murtagh is basically the king's right hand man, and he's very powerful. To run from him is a dangerous thing, you're very brave. Sir Tamar has helped me in the past, and if he is helping you, I shall help you too." The man put his hand on my shoulder, "By the way, I am John."

"Nice to meet you John, I am Kyra. John, what would you be willing to do to help me?" I stared up at him, an innocent, almost childlike expression.

He paused for a moment, then with a sigh said, "As long as it doesn't kill me, anything."

My plan was working perfectly. Now all I had to do was tell him what to do. I really hated bringing so many people into this, but John was like butter in my fingers and Tamar offered to help. Dylan knew nothing of this yet, and wouldn't learn till tomorrow. My head was buzzing with the plan that went on in my head.

- - - - -

I quietly walked down the hall with Tamar, and many people watched us. After I had finished talking to John I had went straight to Tamar, and now we were in the middle of my tour. So far we had covered most of the palace, there were just a few important places left to go to.

A maid glared at me as we rounded the corner, "Don't mind any of them. They're just not that keen to strangers getting entry to the palace like this, especially a girl of your age." Tamar assured me. "Next we are to go to the thrown room. Even though Tábor is no king, he has a thrown room. He says it's only fitting that a palace has a thrown room."

Marcus Tábor; the ruler of Dras-Leona. A few months ago he was visited by the king. It was said that he was thrashed pretty well, and was lucky to be alive and able to keep his job. "Am I allowed in the thrown room?" I sheepishly asked.

"I have gotten permission from Tábor himself to let you see all parts of the palace, including the thrown room. Awe, here we are." Tamar pushed on two huge golden doors. They opened wide to reveal the thrown room.

A long red carpet filled the middle of the room and led straight to a golden chair with a man sitting upon it. He looked rather old and tattered, with short grey hair. On either side of the carpet were long tables with chairs surrounding them. There was a window on either side of the thrown, and they were stained different colors.

"Sir Tábor, this is the young lady I told you about." Tamar bowed then walked forward. I did a small bow then walked beside Tamar.

"Ah, welcome to my home, young lady. It is nice to see the face of youth within my palace. I hope that you are enjoying yourself?" Tábor's voice was ragged, and he didn't seem to enjoy my presence as much as his words said.

"Yes sir. It's nice to meet you, sir." I smiled and held my hands close to my body. Tábor returned my smile, waved his hand, and told Tamar to carry on with the tour. We spent only a few more minutes in the thrown room as he explained what the purpose of everything in there was. When we left, we both bowed again and said goodbye.

"Are we going down to the dungeon now?" I excitedly asked. Even though I was learning a lot of interesting things, I was starting to get rather bored. I was ready to do what we were here for.

"Yes, we are going there now." Tamar grinned as he opened a big metal door that led to a staircase. He grabbed a torch off the wall and handed it to me. "Here, take this. The lighting down there isn't all that good." He grabbed another torch off the wall for himself.

I held the torch close to me and followed Tamar down the steps. "You haven't told me anything about the person you're looking for. All I know is that you are a dragon rider and that one of your friends is held captive here. I don't even know the reason your friend is in here."

"Even though I do trust you, I can't tell you much at the moment, sorry." My breathing slowed as the air got thicker, and my voice got quieter, "What I can tell you is that his name is Jak."

"Jak? You're trying to rescue him? Why for would a nice young girl like you want to save the likes of him?" Tamar sounded a bit angry, but treaded forward nonetheless.

"You know him?" I almost brightened up, but the way Tamar talked about him made me feel uneasy.

"Unless there's another Jak in here, yes, I know him. He's been horribly troublesome since he got here. He knocked out one of the guards his first night here, and has been refusing to eat or drink anything we give him. We have had to shackle him up and force him to eat. He's rude beyond belief, and has even threatened to kill us all if he ever gets out of his cell. He has done even worse things, but I shall not speak of them. I don't know why you are risking your life for the likes of him." He gritted his teeth and stopped.

"That doesn't sound right. He's probably only behaving that way because he's being held captive." I stopped behind him and lowered my gaze. Was Dylan's friend such a bad person? Is this why Dylan didn't want to talk about him? But if so, why would Dylan want us to save him so much?

"Kyra? You don't know him at all, do you?" Tamar accused. "I know that he is part of the Varden, so you were probably randomly selected to come rescue him, huh?"

I looked up at Tamar, who had turned around to look at me. "He may be part of the Varden, but I have nothing to do with them."

"If you aren't part of the Varden, why are you trying to save him? And you still haven't answered my question. Have you ever actually met him before?" Tamar's face was full of despair.

I sighed. I still wasn't good at lying, but there wasn't much I could do here. "No, I haven't. But, before you say anything more, listen to what I have to say. Jak's _best friend _is a real good friend of mine. His name is Dylan, and he will be coming with me to the palace tomorrow. If you don't want him coming in here, fine, but he will be waiting outside for us. His friend is very important to him, and he has done a lot for me. This is my way of repaying him."

"So, you are risking your life trying to save a criminal for somebody else? You are very courageous, and pure of heart. What has this Dylan done for you?" Tamar turned back around and started walking forward again.

I followed him, but not as closely this time. "If it weren't for Dylan, I wouldn't have ever become a dragon rider. He helped me to raise my dragon, and he saved me from being locked up in a cell like one of these."

"I understand the part with your dragon, but how did he save you from being sent to prison?"

"I don't want to talk about it much, so I will only give you the basics." I ran the tips of my fingers against the wall, "Back in my home town my best friend was murdered. I was blamed for it, and was going to be arrested for it. I ran for it, and Dylan helped me to hide, and make our way far away from my home town. That's all I'm going to say."

"Fine, fare enough." Tamar's voice softened as we reached the bottom of the stairs. A few dimly lit torches filled the chamber. There were cell doors on either side of the room. "He is at the very end." Tamar simply said as we walked down the hall.

Radom prisoners stretched out their hands and begged for us to help them. All of them were so pitiful, as though they had been down here for ages. Which, in all reality, was probably true. At the end of the long hall there was a big metal door with a small iron bar window. Tamar stepped aside and let me approach.

I grabbed onto the bars and looked inside. I could barely see anything. What I did see was a bed in the corner and the thin outline of a person lying on it, with one hand cuffed to the wall. "Jak?" My quiet voice echoed in the room.

The person shivered slightly at the sound of his name, like I had brought in cold air with it, but he remained silent for a while. "What?" His voice was gloomy, full of despair and a slight ting of frustration in it when he finally spoke.

"Atra nosu waíse fricaya." I whispered the words Dylan had given me the day before, in hopes that this was indeed the right person.

Immediately he sat up, and reached for the door. He couldn't get too close because of the cuff, but he was able to put one hand on the barred window. In just a wisp of a breath, "Vinr?" And then, more loudly, but still in a whisper, "How do you know such words? Why are you hear?"

"Don't worry, I mean no harm. I've been sent by a friend of yours, Dylan. He is in the city, and promises to rescue you shortly. We have a plan. We will free you." My breath quickened as I grew more excited again at the thought of actually rescuing him.

"Dylan's here? In the city?" His voice sounded almost alive for a mere moment. "The fool! What is he doing here? Wait…You are no member of the Varden. Who are you?"

"I can't say much, but I will say this; I am a friend." I turned to look at Tamar, who motioned that it was time to go. "I'm sorry, but I must go now. I will return tomorrow, wiol ono, I promise."

As I moved away from the bars Jak yelled, "Wait! Come back! Please?"

Shaking my head, I hurried out of the dungeon, Tamar close behind me. As soon as we were back in his room Tamar said, "What did you say to him, those strange words? Were they of the ancient language?"

"Uh," I rattled my brain for a moment, "I'm not quiet sure where the words came from, only what they mean, for Dylan told me before I came here today. It was so that Jak would know that I wasn't lying."

"Hmm." Tamar sat down in his chair, "I think you're lying about those words. Though, there is no point in my pushing the matter. Tomorrow, when you return here, I would rather that your friend waits outside. If I open the door to the cell for you, how do you plan to get him out of the chain?"

"You will have to wait and see tomorrow. Dylan and I have worked out a plan." This was yet another lie, but tonight I would talk to Dylan about it. He had promised me that he would teach me some magic. I had the right to know as a dragon rider and half elf. I looked out the window to see the sun setting in the distance. "It is time for me to go. Thank you so much for your help. I will find a way to repay you."

"Wait, before you go, I want to give you something; incase I don't have the time to give it to you tomorrow." He went over to his dresser and pulled out a small black box. Walking back over to me he opened the box to reveal a golden bracelet. "This is a rather old bracelet, said to be full of magic. Once you put it on, you can't take it off without using magic; to insure that you don't lose it. If you will," He held out the bracelet, which was open on one end.

I held out my left wrist and he clasped it onto me. The bracelet glowed for a moment, and then there was no sign of there ever being a clasp. "Thank you."

"I give this to you in hope that you will remember me." Tamar put the box away and held open the door. "Today, you will have to find your own way out. I have to report to Tábor in a few minutes, so I don't have the time to show you out."

"That is okay." When I passed him, I gave him a quick hug then put my hood up. Walking out of the palace I studied the bracelet on my wrist. It was pure gold except for small silver markings carved across its surface. It was like a chain, with multiple links that twisted and formed together, weaving intricately in and out of each other. It was simple yet extravagant. _"Nyte, why is it that the guys around here seem to be extra nice to me?"_

_"It's because you are so beautiful and kind, Kyra. But you must be careful, there will be plenty of people out there that will be extra mean to you for the same reason." _

_"I will remember that."_ I smiled and pushed open the doors. John was waiting for me by the golden gate again.

"When you and your friends leave tomorrow, what happens if you get caught? Or if I get caught helping you?" John looked concerned.

"You won't get caught, and neither will we. I promise. No one will know that you even helped us." I walked away and waved my hand back to him, "See ya tomorrow John."

"Have a good night." John yelled back to me. Other soldiers were passing by at the moment and stared at me as I left.

"Who's she?" I heard one of them whistle.

"A friend, now beat it." John elbowed the man in the side.

I silently laughed and headed to the Golden Globe. _"That poor guy. It's obvious that he is only barely old enough to be a soldier and here you go, messing everything up for him."_ Nyte prodded into my head.

_"How am I messing everything up for him? He's not going to get caught. All he is going to do is hang out with Dylan by the gate and open it for us when the time comes."_ I weaved between the crowds of people while arguing with Nyte.

_"That makes him suspicious! If anyone sees, he's in a lot of trouble," _Nyte protested, _"When he freely lets you guys go, it will let everyone know that he helped you to escape." _

_ "Nyte, I have a plan. Just wait till tomorrow. If anything bad happens, I give you permission to roast Dylan, Kay?" _I knew Nyte couldn't breathe fire yet, but it made us both laugh.

_"Roasted Dylan for dinner, yum." _Nyte laughed, _"Well if you're that sure, then fine. If you guys get caught, I don't care what you say; I will come and get you."_

_"Deal."_ It was fun to be able to have a conversation with somebody, and for it to be truly private.

Dylan was waiting by the door for me when I reached the Golden Globe. "Hey Dyl!" I happily said as we met up, and walked side by side into the Globe and up to our room. _"We seriously need to talk."_ I grumbled to him inside of my head just before we reached the room.

"I talked to your friend. He was rather rude." I tried to cheer up, but thinking back to all the things that Tamar had said, and the way Jak talked made me upset.

"He can be rude to strangers, especially when he is being held captive. What did he say?" Dylan showed a sign of happiness on his face, happiness from knowing that his friend is still okay.

"He was surprised when I used the ancient language, and could tell that I wasn't from the Varden. He also called you a fool." I laughed at this part, even though Jak was utterly serious when he said it. "Ah, and you are going to need to teach me a bit more of the ancient language before tomorrow."

"A fool?" Dylan scoffed, "He has no right to call me that after what he did. "Anyway, why do you need to know more of the ancient language?"

"Magic. I know I can do it, but I need you to teach me first." I unfolded my arms and pushed off the wall.

"Why now? I'm going with you tomorrow, so I can perform any spell you need to have done."

"You won't be able to come into the palace with me. Tamar can only get me in. You will have to wait outside with John."

"John? Who's that? You haven't mentioned him before this."

Sighing, I told him all about John, not that there was much to tell, only his main role in tomorrows plan. Dylan was still in the dark though, for he didn't know what was going to go on while I was in the palace. Not even Nyte knew everything.

"Okay, fine. What magic do you want me to teach you? If its anything that I think you can't handle, I won't do it." Dylan gave in.

"There are two pacific things that I want you to teach me; how to break something using magic, and force someone to fall asleep." I grinned.

"What size is the object that you want to break, and I'm not so sure about the falling asleep thing. It takes a lot of energy."

"What I want to be able to break is, oh say, about the size of a hand cuff. I need to be able to make a certain person fall asleep, even if it's only for a short while."

Dylan walked towards the door, "Hold on. If we are going to be learning how to break something, you will need to have something to practice on. We will talk about the rest momentarily." He walked out of the room.

_"What are you truly planning for tomorrow? You keep pushing me out of your head each time I try to find out." _Nyte intruded.

_ "You will have to wait and see."_ I teased. Dylan was back by now, and was holding a thick iron ring.

"The word in the ancient language that means break is jierda. Obviously you can say any word in the ancient language without something happening. You have to put your energy into to it, and really be thinking about what you are saying. There are a few great elves that can say one word and something else happens because they are thinking something else." He sat on the floor and placed the ring in front of himself, "For now, we are going to stick to the basics. Sit and I will show you."

"Okay." I sat in front of him so the ring was between us.

He placed his right hand over it, "It helps to say the word or words louder so that your brain makes more of a connection." He paused and took in a deep breath, "Jierda!" His hand glowed then a crack appeared in the ring. Then, it was in at least ten pieces.

"Wow." I picked up one of the pieces to examine it, "I think I could do it. But, it's already broken, so what do I practice with?" I placed the piece back.

"Well, I can put it back together just like I took it apart. But, this is a bit trickier. I'm going to use the word malthinae, which means to bind or hold on place. Some people wouldn't get the connection between that word and fixing something. But, if you make a connection from the word you say and your thoughts it will be just the same." He held his hand back over the ring and said, "Malthinae!"

Immediately his hand began to glow and the iron ring jumped back together and was as good as new. "Now you try to break it."

I held my right hand over the bar and concentrated on breaking it, "Jierda!" My hand glowed, but nothing happened.

"It takes some time, try again. But try with your left hand this time. It will be easier for you to direct magic through your gedwëy ignasia."

Switching to my left hand, I tried again. This time a small crack appeared on the surface of the iron ring. Dylan told me to try again, but to pour more of my energy into it. I put as much energy into it as I possibly could, and felt Nyte helping as well. On the fourth try the iron ring shattered into millions of pieces on the floor. "At least I can break it, now I need to know how to control it."

"Uh, we can practice that later, after I get a new ring. I don't want to have to fix this one." Dylan swept up all of the pieces and dumped it into a garbage can. "I guess we can move onto putting people to sleep. It's easier to put people to sleep then it is to break things; depending on how long you want the person to sleep for. The manager of this place should be asleep by now, so we can go around putting random people in the commons room and the bar to sleep kay?"

"We aren't supposed to go into the bar." I frowned and walked out of the door and into the hallway. "What's the word for sleep in the ancient language?"

"Slytha. You don't actually have to touch the person to make them fall asleep, just make sure you are really close, okay?" He followed me into the commons area.

There were plenty of people still awake, just hanging out around the area. The person closest to the wall was sitting by himself drinking a bear. I held my hand near his shoulder and whispered, "Slytha."

The man looked at me funny for a moment then leaned his head against the wall. He was sound asleep. We had just enough time to walk away before he had woken up. "Very good. Now just try to make them sleep longer."

The rest of the night we went around putting people asleep until one of them fell out of a chair and everyone looked at us. As we ran for our room, laughing slightly, Dylan was able to grab another iron ring. Once inside our room I practiced breaking the iron ring without making it explode into a million pieces. It seemed easier to break then the first time, but that was probably because I had just practiced putting people asleep a bunch of times. After I had managed to break it into only a couple dozen pieces Dylan and I gave up and went to sleep.

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End of chapter 6! ((Up next: _Chapter 7: Mischief Makers._)) 


	7. Chapter 7: Mischief Makers

**A/N:** Hey all! It's been a looooong time since I've uploaded a new chapter. v.v' I know, I know, I fail completely.  
But, I'm not going to make any excuses, or anything; just know that I'm EXTREMELY sorry.  
Also, I may only be uploading ch.7 right now, but as the actual story goes I'm about half way through typing ch.10.  
Do you know what this means?  
It means that the next few chapters will be uploaded close together! So look forward to it!^^

Special Note for Long Time Readers: As of yesterday, April 8th 2010, Chapters 5 and 6 were updated.  
It was mostly the last couple paragraphs of ch.5 and the first few paragraphs of ch.6 I figured I'd let you guys know so that you won't be lost in the chapters to come! :D

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Story:

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Chapter 7: Mischief Makers

Sleep came easily for me, like most of always, especially since I had used a lot of energy. But this time, as I fell asleep, it felt like I had slipped into something more then just a sleep state. Everything felt extremely odd, and slightly ominous.

Dylan had explained to me that elves don't truly sleep. It's more of a half sleep; it allows you to rest, but you are still fully aware of your surroundings. For me, it was very similar. I could still sense when things happened around me unless I was to fall into a really deep sleep.

This was one of those times. It felt as though I was never going to wake up. Darkness surrounded me, leaving a pressure hanging over my body. For the first time in a long time I felt truly alone. I couldn't feel the presence of anything but the darkness, which wasn't living so it didn't really count.

Nyte's ever lasting presence wasn't even there. This concerned me greatly, but I couldn't do anything about it. This made me realize how use to Nyte's presence I was, made me realize how much I loved and adored his presence, and made me think that there was no way I'd be able to live without it, regardless of the fact that I went almost sixteen years without it.

Even though I was sleeping, I still had slight coherent thoughts. Sleeping like this frightened me. Being completely and utterly alone was not a happy feeling. This made me want to wake up, and even though I could think the thoughts, I couldn't make my body move at all, not even open my eyes.

Hours drifted by, and finally I was able to break free of the trance. When I opened my eyes I was sitting upright, hands across my sweat drenched face, breathing hard. _That was weird. _I breathed to myself as I slowly calmed my breathing and heart rate down.

_"Kyra?! Are you okay?"_ Nyte blurted into my head, a frenzied panic in his voice.

_"Yeah…I'm fine. Just slept weird. Why do you ask?"_

_ "I couldn't sense you at all. It was like you didn't exist, even in the slightest! I can always sense you're being, even if we are too far away to connect. I don't think 'just slept weird' covers it." _Now his voice was full of anger.

_ "What else am I supposed to say? All I know is that I slept rather weird." _The light of morning was peaking through the musky window when I lifted my head out of my hands. Since I didn't want to go back to sleep I slowly stood up and walked around the room.

_"Are you going to be okay?" _

_"I'll be fine." _I tried to stifle a yawn, but it didn't work as well as I wanted.

My simple footsteps and half-stifled yawn were enough to wake Dylan up. "Kyra?" He said with a yawn.

"Did I wake you? Sorry." I smiled lightly; glad to have my thoughts away from the weird night.

_"You better be fine." _Nyte whispered in my head before Dylan spoke again. "Oh, morning. Uh…" Then out of nowhere he jumped up to a standing position. "Today's the day I get to see Jak again!"

"Ha-ha. You seem rather cheerful considering you didn't want to talk about it just the other day." I smiled and grabbed my backpack. The first day in Dras-Leona while shopping I had gotten myself some extra clothing. I was using a nice pair of shorts and a plain t-shirt as pajamas.

"If you'd excuse me." I grinned as I went to the farthest corner of the room. Dylan knew that this meant that I was changing, and that he was not to look. Rather quickly I changed out of my pajamas and into real cloths. Once done I was wearing dark brown pants, a dark green shirt, fingerless gloves and my old ,tattered, blood stained, green cloak.

As I finished changing into actual cloths I moved back over to my stuff and packed up everything. "Are you ready to go?"

"No." Dylan muttered while trying to stuff something into his bag. I walked around him to see what he was trying to put in there. It was already stuffed to the top and then some.

"What all do you have in there?" I knew he went shopping, but this was a bit extreme.

"Uh…" He laughed somewhat nervously and continued stuffing things in his bag, "I bought some stuff for Jak as well. He's gonna need it."

"Okay," I kind of drew out the word, "But why so much that it won't even fit in your bag?"

Dylan smiled, "I guess I didn't think that it wouldn't fit in my bag when I bought it. How am I going to get all of this in here?"

Pulling my bag off my back I said, "I have plenty of room, sorta. Give me something to carry."

"You sure?" Dylan didn't give me time to answer as he tossed something black at me.

"Huh?" I caught it to find out that it was a rolled up blanket. The same kind as Dylan's and mines, but pure black. "Is this one for Jak?" I asked while moving stuff to make room for the blanket.

Dylan was busy shutting his bag so it took him a second to answer, "Huh? Oh, yeah. I think he will like it."

"You're probably right. So, let's go, kay?" I smiled and walked out the door, slinging my bag onto my back. As Dylan followed he almost forgot about his ears still looking like elves ears.

_"Hey Dyl, there's something wrong with your ears." _Nyte teased.

_"Huh?"_ Dylan stopped for a second, _"Oh yeah!" _He ran his hands over the top of his ears and muttered something. When he removed his hands his ears looked like a humans again. _"Thanks for reminding me Nyte. But, um, how'd you know?"_

_ "It wasn't for you. If I didn't remind you, you would have blown both yours and Kyra's cover, and then I'd have to eat you, which in turn would upset Kyra as well as my stomach." _Nyte was being stubborn, and in turn forgot to answer Dylan's question.

I laughed, _"Your silly Nyte. Oh, Dylan, what is the word for fire in the ancient language?" _I really wanted to know how Nyte knew that Dylan forgot to change his ears, since he couldn't have possibly seen it, but I was too busy thinking of other things to pursue the matter.I Hurried down the hall and went to the counter. "Sir?" I waited for the Inn keeper's response.

"Oh, if it isn't the yungin's. What ya' want?" The man seemed a bit preoccupied with a stack of papers that were on the counter in front of him.

"Here sir," I handed him the small silver key to our room. He gingerly held out his hand for me to drop it into, "Thank you for letting us stay, we will be on our way now."

"Huh? Ya's leavin' already? Guess ya' yungin's didn't 'cause no trouble. See ya'." He waved his hand, and then went back to concentrating on the stack of paper.

"Bye." I muttered and went to the front door, where Dylan was waiting for me.

_"So, where exactly is the entrance that you have been using? And, fire is brisingr, why do you ask?"_ Dylan asked. We had decided back in the room that we would talk to each other through our minds on our walk so no one would over hear us.

_"__Just follow me and you will find out. Brisingr, eh? I just wanted to know, for I was thinking about how dangerous fire can be."_ I smiled and led the way through the streets, which were as crowded as ever today. It was going to be tough to escape later with all these people crowding the streets, but that was okay.

_"What are you planning, knowing that fire is brisingr? You better not try any more magic." _Dylan growled as we continued through the busy streets. I gave him an 'of course not' and we continued on our way. As we walked I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth; a peculiar habit of mine that was a sign of one of three things; nervousness, or, I was trying to rid the 'nasty taste of lying' out of my mouth, or both. In this case, it was both. Thankfully, neither Nyte nor Dylan knew any of the signs.

When we finally reached the palace John was waiting by the same gate as always. "Good morning John." I smile and waved as we got closer to him. John just nodded his head and smiled lightly. "This is the friend I told you about." I waved my right hand towards Dylan. "He will be keeping you company for a while, so please try to get along."

"Ah, hello." Dylan politely said, while reaching his hand out for a normal human handshake.

"Hello." John blandly said as he accepted Dylan's handshake.

"Seems like you two will be fine. I have to hurry, so, if you will, John?" John nodded and opened up the gate for me. As I walked through the gate both of the men behind me were silent, and if either one noticed that my legs were shaking neither said a word about it.

_"Are you sure you know what you're doing? Can you actually pull this off?"_ Dylan sounded a bit worried, like Nyte had earlier this morning.

_"Are you questioning my integrity?" _I laughed inside of my head. Dylan was quiet after that. It was only a short few minutes before I was to reach Tamar's room, but every step sent nervous shocks up my legs. Maybe it was the fact that everyone was staring at me, or that I was going to get to really meet Jak, or maybe it was the fact that last night was the weirdest night I had ever had of sleeping. No, my nerves were racking up mostly because of the plans running through my head. One was simple, the other not quiet so, but would still work if the first did not.

"There you are. I was wondering when you were going to get here." Tamar said as I opened the door to his room. He was only a couple paces away, with an almost smug expression on his face. "I am ashamed that I won't be able to spend anymore time with you after this. But, I know that this must be done, and done quickly, for your safety. Now, you haven't really explained my role in today's adventure. What is it that I'm supposed to do?"

"Well sir," I stopped and tried to think of a way to word it without giving away too much of the plan. "Really, you get to open the cell, and after that, you just got to go with the flow. I promise, whatever I do end up doing, I have no intentions of actually hurting anyone. Maybe cause a little chaos, but no hurting. What I do is all well planned, so try not to panic too much when I do something."

"Hmm, so you really aren't going to give up any secrets, are you?" Tamar laughed then moved to pick up his ring of keys off his desk. "Then shall we go?"

"Let us be on our way." I smiled brightly, turned, and walked out the door I had only just entered moments ago. I held the door for Tamar, and he led the way down the hallway, through a left turn, and to the very end of the main hallway. The huge door on the right swung open when Tamar pulled on it, and after arming myself with a torch, we were on our way down the long flight of stairs.

_Brisingr._ The word whirled around in my head as I glanced at the light flame of the torch I was carrying. Fire is powerful, so one would have to use a lot of energy to make or manipulate fire with magic. One had to be strong, and I would be strong if need be.

As we reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the dungeon I took a deep breath to ready myself. I had to be prepared, fully aware and ready for things to go well. Tamar and I walked side by side up to the last cell, which had more of a door then any of the other cells. Swiftly, Tamar unlocked the cell door, but before opening it he leaned closer to me.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" His voice was in a very low whisper, "Is this the right thing to do? Are you willing to fully risk your life for this man? Have you thought everything through?"

"Yes." I breathed. Yes, this is what I wanted to do. This was important to me, I just knew it, even if I had no full knowledge as to why it was so important to me. But, I had to do this either way. I would not fail Dylan, not now.

Solemnly nodding, Tamar swung the door open and moved out of the way so that I could walk in. Jak was pressed against the far wall, taking up only a small amount of space on his cot. "I already told you people that I'm not gonna eat the shit you guys keep trying to feed to me!" Jak's voice was cold and hard, but his words made me almost want to laugh. Almost.

"Shhh." I whispered while slowly walking up to the bed. "Don't worry; I won't try to force you to eat anything." As my voice echoed against the hard wall's I realized that it almost did have an elfish ring to it; soft and sweet.

"So you did come back!" Jak half whispered. He pushed himself up to a full sitting position, seemingly struggling to do just that much. "Have you come to rescue me, or just to taunt me?"

"Rescue fair sir."

"That sounds more like a taunt." Jak mumbled, and faced towards the wall.

"I'm sorry. But, I am here to rescue you, just like I promised. And time is of the essence, so we must hurry." I passed the lit torch back to Tamar and moved so that I was sitting on the edge of the bed. As I grabbed the cuff and pulled it, along with his arm, closer to me, he gave me a stern look.

"What will you do to the cuff? You have no key. And even if you do somehow break it, how will we get out of here? I haven't eaten in ages, and have no energy of my own to be able to walk around with."

"I _have_ a plan, don't worry." One deep breath and I wrapped my hands firmly around the cuff. "Jierda!" At the sound of my voice, and the firm thoughts in my head, the cuff around Jak's wrist broke into twelve small pieces and crumbled onto the bed.

"You! Who are you?!" Jak almost shouted; anger, irritation and surprise warped into his voice. "I can tell that this is one of your first time's actually using magic, yet you did so well." His shout aroused the attention of the other prisoners. They were starting to move about in their cells and look to see what was going on.

"There will be time to explain everything later. Now, tell me, what is 'give' in the ancient language? And don't play dumb with me, because I know you know what it is." I eyed Tamar nervously for a moment. Jak plus the breaking of the cuff equals a lot of noise, and I had a feeling that there was more to come, especially with the prisoners paying more attention. It wouldn't be long before people came down to see what was going on.

"Give? That is…._taka_…why? What are you doing? If you don't start explaining I won't cooperate with you." Jak yanked away from me slightly and started to rub his now free left wrist.

Sighing, I leaned closer and grabbed both of Jak's hands. He tried to pull away from me, but my grip was stronger then his was for he had been weakened by his prolonged stay in the dungeon. Closing my eyes I started channeling my energy to my hands, and started thinking the phrase _'give energy'_ over and over again. Dylan himself had said that you can say one word and make something different happen if you found the connection. I wasn't necessarily going to make something totally different happen, just add onto the one word.

Praying and hoping that it would work, I said the word aloud, "Taka!" Jak jumped back and yelled with surprise as my hands glowed and a small amount of my energy started flowing into him. I wasn't able to channel much, but it was enough to get Jak up and moving. When I let go of his hands and looked at his face, I half laughed at his wide eyed expression.

A few prisoners started banging on their bars as Jak and I stood up and made our way to the cell door. When some of the prisoners started to realize that we were rescuing Jak they began to yell out. "Save us!" "Take us with you!" "You can't take just him!" "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE" There were more and more cries for help called out as the seconds ticked by.

But just then, we heard running. The door at the tops of the stairs slammed open and people started shouting. "Tamar! Yell for help! And sit on the floor, quick!" Jak leaned against the open cell door as I let go of him and moved over to Tamar, who had quickly sat on the floor. As another person at the top of stairs shouted 'what's going on?' Tamar yelled, "HELP ME! HELP! A PRISONER IS ESCAPING!!!"

Pressing my hand to the top of his forehead I whispered, "Slytha" and quickly Tamar drifted off to sleep, dropping the torch on the ground and making it seem as though he was knocked out. Footsteps came thundering down the stairs as I moved back over to Jak who was struggling to stay standing.

Grabbing his hand, I was able to pull him the rest of the way out of the cell, balancing most of his weight on me. _"Nyte, I may need some of your strength. Please help me."_ Just then four guards thundered into the small dungeon, torches in one hand and swords in the other. It sounded as though more guards were rushing down to help as well.

_"My strength is yours, my little flower." _Nyte replied, and with each word I could feel his strength and energy flowing into my body, filling my very bones with power. "Jierda!!" My shout filled the room, surprising everyone and making them all recoil away from me, even Jak. My left hand was extended outward, but the only things that broke were all the cell doors in the room.

That was fine by me, for that was what I was intending to do. Panic filled the guards' eyes as they realized that I had just used magic. The prisoners were shocked by this as well, but they got over it more quickly as they realized what I had done with the magic. Soon they were able to fumble their way out of their cells, and now there were multiple people between the guards and Jak and I.

"Great. Now what? This just made it harder for us to get out of here. There's just too many people in the way." Jak half whispered half panted into my ears. His breathing was heavy, but it seemed that the longer he stayed standing the more energy he got.

"No," My voice broke slightly, the drain of energy catching up to me. "This is perfect." Now, there was one more bit of magic I would have to use to get us out of the dungeon. It would probably take a lot of energy to move or create fire, but what if I was to just put the fire out? That couldn't take up that much energy, could it? "Brisingr."

This time my voice wasn't loud enough for everyone to hear, just enough for Jak and I, but the magic worked nonetheless. All the fire in the room, the torches, flickered then died out. "What the-?" One of the guards could be heard over the bustling of the escapees and other guards. "Damnit! We can't fight in this condition!" The spokesmen turned and fled up the stairs the best he could. Moments later more people rushed up the stairs and out of the dungeon.

My adjusted eyes saw that after a few short minutes even the prisoners were making their way up the stairs. When all that was left was Jak, the sleeping Tamar and I, we started to slowly make our way up the stairs, leaving Tamar behind. He would be asleep for a while, but he would be fine.

At the top of the stairs there were now six guards and thirteen escaped prisoners, not including Jak and myself. Now that we were out of the cramped space of the dungeon the guards were able to successfully defend themselves, or so it seemed to them. My footsteps were light and movements quick so I was able to take one of them by surprise. I let go of Jak's hand to grab one of the men, wrapping my arm around his neck and choking him. He was so surprised that he dropped his sword, making it so that Jak was able to grab it and stand his ground.

I slipped my dagger out of my pocket with my left hand and held it up to the man's neck. This kind of violent acting made me sick to the stomach, but I wasn't going to actually hurt the man, he was only a hostage to make the others listen.

"Drop your swords, or he will die." Jak's voice was stronger now, and more commanding. The other guards stopped their frantic movements to stop and see what Jak was talking about. He had the sword pointed at the guard I was holding, with a horribly ominous expression on his face.

"Let him go!" One of the guards called back, taking a step closer to us and grabbing onto his sword with both hands.

"We don't want to cause any harm. If you just do as we say no one will get hurt. If not, we will have no other choice." I spoke out, almost worried of what Jak would say. One wrong word from him and it could ruin my plan. "So drop your swords now and back away."

The guards glared for a moment then reluctantly set their swords on the floor. The escapees watched silently for a split second, then started to wander off down the hallway, seizing the opportunity to get away. "HEY!" One of the guards shouted, grabbed their sword and wheeled around to chase after the escaped prisoners.

Prisoners running now, the other guards gingerly picked up their swords and started chasing after them. "What a pity, that they value capturing those criminals more than they value your life." I sighed into the guard's ear. "Fine, this works just as well. Now, slytha." The guard wobbled, then fell onto the floor with a large crash as I let go of him.

Just then Jak wobbled and dropped to his knees, panting heavily again. It was obvious that the burst of energy was short lived. Slipping the dagger back into my pocket I dropped down and helped him up, keeping my right arm around his waist and taking the sword from him and wielding it in my left hand. Reluctantly he draped his left arm across my shoulders to help him stand, even though he was a few inches taller then me. He also let his "human" appearance drop and his elfin ears show.

As the steps of the guards faded into the distance more shouts and running could be heard coming towards us. Obviously there were reinforcements heading our way, probably alerted by the sounds of the previous guard's shouts. Stumbling around one corner we found ourselves facing the array of guards that were coming our way. "Brisingr!" I shouted, and the walls around us caught on fire, small at first then spreading rapidly of its own free will. As the guards panicked over the fire, we were able to quickly slip by and run for the door that I liked to use as an entrance/exit.

As we burst through the door we were followed by a frenzy of guards and a blaze of fire. Not paying attention to the shouts behind us, I stumbled as quickly as I could over to the gate where Dylan and John were waiting for us. I could see both of their bodies stiffen as they saw the scene before them: a young girl wielding a sword in one hand, an elf boy limply holding onto her, and behind them were guards running in crazed circles with a wall of fire beyond that.

_"Dylan! As to not make John seem suspicious put him to sleep, steal his keys, and open the gate for us!" _Even through my thoughts my words were slightly broken. I could sense that Dylan was worried about me, but he didn't say anything and turned to John.

"What the-?" I was able to hear John start to ask just as Dylan started to put him to sleep. Swiftly he pulled the keys out of John's pocket and unlocked the gate. When we reached him, without a single word being spoken, he moved to the other side of Jak and placed Jak's right arm across his shoulders and wrapped his own left arm around Jaks waist, just above where my arm was. Jak's eyes closed and all his weight was placed on us.

The other guards that were placed around the perimeter of the palace came running to stop us. I had never wielded a real sword before but that did not stop me from clashing swords with the first guard to cross our path. "Böetq brisingr!" Dylan shouted and we were abruptly engulfed in flames.

Or, that is what it looked like. We were completely surrounded by vast flames, but none of them touched us. "Hurry!" Dylan shouted, moving a step forward. Even though my mind hesitated my body moved forward in unison with Dylan's. As we moved forward so did the fire, keeping basically a force field around us so that no one could get close to us.

As we got closer to the crowds of people the fire was able to reach some of the buildings, catching them and other random things on fire. At first the guards tried to follow us, but soon they found that pointless because of the fire. Realizing that their homes were burning down, the guards and the people in the crowds tried their best to ignore us and went to put out the fires.

By the time we reached the nearest exit the gates were completely abandoned, there weren't even people traveling into the city. As we ran out of the city Dylan let go of the fire, leaving it just inside of the city walls. Under his breath Dylan whispered something in the ancient language and the gate behind us slammed shut. It didn't seem as though anyone was going to follow us though, seeing as the city was in a panic.

Smoke billowed out of the city while we ran across the fields and over the top of a hill. As soon as we reached the bottom of the hill and were out of sight of the city we tumbled and landed in a small patch of grass. "Are you guys okay?" I managed to ask after a few minutes passed by. When no answer came I pushed my self upright to see Dylan sitting there, leaning against a tree, and Jak still passed out on the ground.

"The question is, are you okay, Kyra? I'm surprised you can move after using all that magic." Dylan panted slightly.

"I'll be fine. What about Jak?" I looked down at Jak, really looking at him for the first time. His ears were as pointed as Dylan's, now that he didn't have then disguised. when he didn't have them disguised. And, actually, he looked a lot like Dylan. His hair was the same bright red as Dylans, but it was spikier. Even their facial features were similar. Was this just because they were both elves of similar age?

"I'm not sure. Can you try waking him up?" Dylan's voice was still heavy with exhaustion.

Nodding, I leaned down and placed my hand on Jak's shoulder. "Jak? Jak, wake up." When Jak didn't move I pulled him up into a sitting position. Still nothing but his steady breathing came.

_"Hey, Nyte. Mind coming this away? I can tell that you're close by. And I can tell you're angry at me, for what I did in the palace, so you don't have to respond if you don't want to. At least come by here, okay? I miss you so much."_

_  
_"Jak?" I was starting to worry about Jak, and knowing that Nyte was angry with me saddened me. As a last resort thing to get Jak to wake up, I pulled him and myself up until we were both standing; the effort left me breathless though.

Jak's eyes then flickered open to reveal bright green, glassy eyes. "Get the hell away from me!" Jak growled, and used all his force to shove me away from him. Losing my balance I fell to the ground with a hard 'thump'. "I cooperated with you just so I could get out. Now that I'm free, I want nothing to do with you, so keep your hands off of me, dirty mortal."

"JAK!" Dylan growled and leaped off the ground and kneeled next to me, but I was too stunned to say or do anything. My head whirled with confusion, and my body ached from the day's adventure. Jak's behavior was so wild, and his mood seemed to change almost instantly, from one moment to the next, like it was nothing. "She save's your life and this is how you repay her?"

"Dylan…" Jak sighed, wobbling slightly. His face had softened when he saw Dylan, but as soon as he looked down at me he grew angry again. "She may have saved me from imprisonment, but that is no reason for me to trust her. She is a filthy mortal whom disgraces our kind by using improper magic. Someone like her is liable to turn on us and kill us at any moment. It is best we get rid of her now. Now move away from her, I am unwilling to trust her, or anyone else! Besides, you are a fool for attempting to rescue me. I know full well that the Varden wasn't going to send anyone to save me. On your own free will you came to save me, against the Vardens direct orders."

Swiftly Jak bent down and grabbed the sword that I had dropped when we first tumbled to a stop here. Ignoring that Dylan hadn't moved a muscle, he pointed the tip of the sword at my neck, holding it just an inch away from me. "What else could I do, Jak? I had to save you. You are the most important thing to me."

I stared quietly into Jak's green eyes. They were also crystalline, much like my own and Dylan's, they were just a light, bright green instead of blue. The eyes were bright, but they were weary. I could see the pain in his eyes, the pain that ran all the way to the core of his being. He has been badly hurt, and betrayed, I could tell that much. The expression that was on his face caused the ghostly image of Jason to pop into my head again. I grimaced at the image, and tried to shake it away.

"And you are the most important thing to me as well. I couldn't bare the thought of you coming to rescue me just so you'd end up getting captured yourself, or worse. That is why I told the Varden if I were ever caught for them to never let you try to rescue me. You are a fool. Now move away from the girl, she is the enemy!"

My head was swimming with confusion now that I got the image out of my head, and I tried to focus on the conversation at hand. Dylan had disobeyed direct orders from the Varden to save Jak? Dylan had said that it was his mission to save Jak. Still confused, I looked up at Jak again, avoiding his eyes this time, who was still holding the sword to my throat. "I mean no harm." Was all that I could think to say; my thoughts were too muddled for anything else, muddled from the conversation and the odd pain the was now seeping into my body.

"Jak! She is not the enemy! Being in that dungeon messed with your mind, it was a horrible place, but you are disoriented and you need to stand down!" Just then an ear splitting roar resounded through the air, causing both Dylan and Jak to tremble. Jak turned his head to see Nyte soar over the top of the hill and land a few feet away from us. Nyte's wings folded in around his body, and lips curled back over his teeth as he leaned forward, arched his back, and growled fiercely at Jak.

"Dylan, the egg hatched? Amazing." Jak whispered to Dylan. Another growl emitted from Nyte as Jak continued to point the sword at me. "Dragon," Jak's voice was louder now, so that Nyte could here, "I mean you no harm."

_"Do not say such a thing to me foolish elf, while you point your sword at my rider!" _Nyte's voice filled my head, and by the expression on Dylan and Jak's faces, it filled theirs as well.

"Your rider?" Jak slowly turned his head away from Nyte to look to where his sword was pointing at, as though he had no idea where it was pointing to. He gasped slightly as he realized that Nyte was talking about me. "Her? She is your rider?"

_"Of course." _Nyte growled again, _"Touch her again and I will not hesitate to tear you limb from limb. Put your sword down, now!"_

"Jak, I'd listen to him. He's dead serious right now." Dylan warned Jak.

Jak's face filled with anger yet again, but he did as Nyte said and placed the sword on the ground. He also backed a few feet away from Dylan and me once he was done. "No wonder why you could use magic."

With Nyte's permission, Dylan helped me to stand up, which was a lot harder then is should have been, and I moved to lean against Nyte. "Jak…even if I were no drag-on rider, I would…still be ab-le to use magic. I'm no mere…hu-man." The more I spoke the more my head pounded with pain, and the more my words and sentences broke apart and became mangled. I had used so much energy that my body couldn't handle me standing for much longer. The pain in my body, that I now realized originated from my arm, seemed to increase at least ten fold.

"How could you not be a mere human? You are no elf." Jak growled, and in turn Nyte growled again. That just made Jak turn his body away from us.

"Jak, you haven't given me a chance to explain who she is." Dylan walked over to Jak, but kept a few paces between them. "She is Kyra, daughter of Aiedail."

"What?" Jak quickly whirled around, looking as though his eyes were going to pop out of his head. "Aiedail's daughter?! No wonder why she's a dragon rider. Part elf and daughter of a dragon rider, it makes sense now! Though, this does not mean she is completely off the hook. I will not fully trust someone born outside of our ancient home until they prove themselves."

"Th-en prove my-self I shall…" When I spoke, my voice sounded far away, instead of close like it was. My vision started to blur, and my head pounded worse. I looked down at my right arm to see that it was now covered in blood, indicating that the wound was bleeding profusely now. I looked back at Dylan and Jak, slightly mesmerized by the look on Jak's face. The pain still showed so clearly in his eyes, even though my vision was slipping.

_"Kyra, are you okay? You feel very weak…and the pain in your arm is getting worse by the minute."_ Nyte's voice also felt distant, even though it was right inside my head. I tried to respond to Nyte's words, but for some reason I could no longer form coherent thoughts inside of my head.

Slowly I started sliding to the ground, and my vision failed me. There was a soft thump as I hit the ground for the third time today. The last thing I remember before everything completely faded away was Dylan calling out my name. Or was it Jak?

- - - - -

The darkness pressed on me yet again. My body felt heavy, but other then that I could feel nothing. Nothing at all. I was utterly alone, yet fully aware, and still asleep all the same. There was no dream to accompany my sleep, but neither was there the normal rest and unconsciousness of sleep.

It was the same unsightly dream state that I was in the night before. The utter loneliness of it made me feel as though I wasn't even alive anymore. Well, maybe I wasn't? I couldn't hear a single thing, my breathing nor my heart beat, and I couldn't even actually feel my body. All that was there was the unending darkness and the weird pressure that hung over me.

It seemed like an eternity had passed by, and still there was nothing. Even my thoughts started to die down as my hope of ever waking weakened. What other choice did I have? What could I do when there was nothing to do but think? Try to reach out to someone…I tried that already. My thoughts wouldn't go beyond the walls of my own mind.

Still more time passed in the emptiness of the unreal sleep state. Just as I was about to give up on thinking all together something changed. Slowly but surely I was able to hear my heart start beating again, as though it had actually stopped in the first place. Next I could feel air flowing in and out of my lunges, and my chest moving up and down in a slow steady rhythm. Then a rush or warm air whipped across my face and made my hair flow with it. Lastly, I was able to twitch my eyelids until they fully opened, reveling a bright blue sky overhead.

It was a relief to see something other then the empty darkness, and even more of a relief knowing that I was still alive. Done with savoring the beauty of the blue sky, I rolled my head to the right, where I could feel a source of heat coming from that general direction. My eyes widened to see a fire just a few feet away and two hooded figures sitting side by side in front of it.

"Dyl-lan?" My voice cracked as I called out to my friend. _"Nyte?"_ As I tried to contact Nyte, my head began to pound again.

"Kyra!" Dylan, the closest person to me, spun around and came to my side. "You're awake! How do you feel?" Jak also came to my side, but he wasn't as energetic as Dylan, nor did he come as close as Dylan. Instead he looked concerned, and almost ashamed.

_"I am here, my little flower. I am so glad you have awakened. I was so worried about you."_ Nyte made a low hurring sound, which showed that he was on my other side.

"I feel as though I've been drifting in a vat of nothingness for a few weeks. My head is pounding, my bones ach, and my arm feels as though it is on fire. How long was I asleep?" _"Nyte, it is so good to hear from you." _A faint smile touched my lips when I spoke to Nyte. He had no idea how badly I wanted to hear his voice while I was stuck asleep.

"Well, it's been about a week and a half since you fainted. We were so worried about you." Dylan moved to help me to sit up, and let me lean against him.

"A week and a half?!" I took the time to look around, and noticed that we weren't in the same area as where I fainted. In fact, nothing looked familiar. All I could see was lots of sand and dirt, mostly flat, but some mounds and holes in the vast plain. "Where are we?"

Jak spoke this time, his voice quiet and seemingly torn, "In the Hadarac desert, just a short ways past the Ramr River. We couldn't afford to stay close to Dras-Leona, and we have to get to Du Weldenvarden as quickly as we can. It's a good thing that you're not very heavy; Dylan and I took turns carrying you. We made good progress nonetheless, and now that you're awake we can probably make it to Ellesméra within a week."

"Whoa." My head spun with slight confusion as I tried to comprehend all that Jak had said, "I guess you filled him in on some things while I was asleep, huh?" A slight ting of embarrassment flashed through me at the thought of both Dylan and Jak carrying me whilst I was unconscious.

Dylan's laughter shook my body slightly, "Yeah. Jak carried you most of the time; he felt pretty bad about everything, you know." There was a slight pause as I caught Jak swiftly elbowing Dylan in the stomach.

There was a slight cough on Dylans part before he continued, "I pretty much told him everything. You're probably a little confused now, so let me explain. Jak and I decided that it is for the best to get you and ourselves back to Du Weldenvarden as quickly as possible. We will be safe there, and it will give you the chance to actually train as a dragon rider. We will also probably be able to find someone that can cure the wound on your arm."

"Speaking of which," Jak cut into Dylan's speech, "We think we know why it was bleeding so bad just before you passed out. It's because you used magic. Murtagh must have cast a powerful spell on it somehow, that causes it to become more of a problem when someone uses magic on it, or if the wearer of the wound uses magic. From now on until we remove whatever spell is cast on the wound you are not to use magic."

"Not use magic? I only just learned how to use magic! It's not fair to tell me that I can't use magic." I pouted slightly.

"Kyra," Dylan sighed, "This is for your own good. Do you want to pass out like this again?"

"Right…" I mimicked Dylan's sigh, and looked over towards Nyte, who had one of his eyes looking straight at me. Pushing off of Dylan I moved over to lean against Nyte, completely ignoring the two elf boys in front of me. _"I missed you so much. Even though I was here physically, I was not mentally. What was it like without me?"_

_  
"It was very lonely, little flower. I missed you too. And, I must agree with Dylan and Jak. No more magic until this problem is fixed. I wish for you to not disappear like that again. I love you too much."_

_ "Awe, I love you too, friend of my heart. For you, I will listen and obey, and not use magic."_

_ "Friend of my heart? I like that."_ I could feel the happiness radiating off of Nyte. He started humming softly. I snuggled closer to him, happy to feel his presence. _"Jak and Dylan created a saddle for me, so, in a short while, you shall ride me for the first time. You will be a real dragon rider."_

_"Ride you? That sounds fun. We will truly be dragon and rider. Two yet one. Tell me, what is it like, soaring high in the sky, being so free?"_

_ "It is like nothing you can imagine little flower. It is too much for words, so you will have to wait and see. As soon as I get a little more rest and Dylan and Jak pack up everything, we will be on our way."_

_ "Then let me rest with you, for rest I still need. Sleep well, Nyte."_

_ "Sleep well, my little flower."_

_

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End of Chapter 7! ((Up next: _Chapter 8: Running with the elves._))


	8. Chapter 8: Running with the elves

**A/N:** Hey all! Chapter 8 is here!~ This one is a bit shorter then the last few, but it's not too short. :)  
I hope you all enjoy this chapter; I know I had fun writing it!

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Story:

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Chapter 8: Running with the elves.

My hands gripped tightly onto the violet spike in front of me as Nyte somersaulted through the air. The whipping air stung my eyes and wrapped my hair around me in a furious frenzy. As soon as Nyte stopped his somersaulting and glided through the air I started laughing.

_"I'm glad you are enjoying this so much."_ Nyte hurred to me. He laughed slightly and then soared higher into the sky.

_"This is truly amazing. I can't believe you get to do this all the time." _My thoughts faded towards the end as Nyte did another flip through the air.

The night was already starting to approach, and I couldn't possibly comprehend that we had been flying for so long. As soon as our little nap was over we set off together, and that was well before noon. It felt as though only an hour of glorious time had gone by but in reality it was quite a few hours.

It was amazing; watching as Dylan and Jak faded into the distance, as the ground started to shrink, and the clouds got closer. As we got higher and higher I could see farther out into the land. Once it started closing in on nightfall we could start to see the great forest we were headed too. Nyte estimated that we would be able to reach the forest by nightfall the next day. This excited me.

After a few more aerial loops Nyte dove almost straight for the ground. Excitement filled my body as we closed in on the ground and just as it seemed as though we were going to crash Nyte pulled sharply up and was able to just barely avoid hitting the ground. Circling around the ground, he was able to come to a screeching halt. He stretched his wings one last time, and then folded them in so I was able to jump off of his back after undoing the straps of the saddle.

Just as my feet touched the ground Dylan and Jak came to a halt right in front of me. Jak had been a few steps ahead of Dylan but when he saw us he slowed down just enough so that when they stopped he was a few paces behind Dylan.

"How was your first day of flying?" Dylan beamed. It was weird, ever since we had reached Leona Lake he had, for the most part, been more happy and upbeat. His spirits rose even higher after I had seen Jak for the first time, and now they seemed to be even higher. It was unbelievable how happy he was now compared to how gloomy he was when I first met him not even two months ago.

"It was amazing! I can't believe I've missed out on it until now. I'd like to fly with Nyte all the time!" I spun in a circle out of excitement but quickly stopped for it was making me dizzy.

"Humph. Like it or not, you're running with us tomorrow." Jak growled as Dylan went around gathering wood to make into a fire; there was an odd amount of wood about for us being in the middle of the desert. Jak's cold attitude bugged me a bit but I knew that he was hiding how he truly felt, so I just shrugged it off.

"Why can't I fly with Nyte tomorrow?" I asked as I planted myself firmly on the ground next to Nyte and began to run my fingers through the sand. It was warm on the top and cooler underneath.

"We have things to discuss before we reach Du Weldenvarden. And before you suggest it, no, we cannot discuss them tonight. After dinner, there is something else we must do. For the time being, rest, eat, and shut up." Before Jak was able to turn away from us Nyte growled at him, "Fear not dragon, I mean no harm by my words."

_"You are a foolish elf, both young and stupid. You should learn some proper manners. Avoid treading too deeply into the pool of fire." _Nyte's words both awed and confused me. He held so much knowledge for being such a young creature.

"Nyte, Jak means no harm. But, I do agree. He _should_ learn some proper manners. But, as you said, he is young, and so are the rest of us. With youth comes ignorance, with age comes wisdom; for the most part, we have yet to receive that wisdom. Now, let us eat. Dragon, will you hunt tonight?" Dylan had successfully finished building the fire and was in the process of handing me a bread roll with some berries.

_"Hunt I shall. It has been a while since I ate. Take care of Kyra while I'm gone. Do not let Jak bully her too much. Though I understand the need for what he is planning." _He then turned his attention to me, _"And you, take care and be strong." _

_"Nyte, what are you talking about? You know, sometimes you just make no sense at all."_ Even though I did want to understand what he was talking about, I knew he wasn't going to tell me. _"Hmm, well, I guess I'll find out soon enough, huh? Go eat."_

_"See you soon." _And then he was off, and all was quiet while we ate; Dylan sat next to me while Jak was on the other side of the fire.

Jak finished eating before both Dylan and I and was up and about picking up random sticks as he walked around the camp. He threw many of them into the fire, but kept a few in his hands. By the time I finished eating he had two long sticks almost the same size and width.

"Catch." He muttered while tossing one at me. Instinctively I grabbed it with my left hand as it came dangerously close to hitting my face.

"Why'd you go and do that?" I stood up while I asked, for he had motioned me to stand with his hand.

"I'm going to give you a little bit of practice before we reach Ellesméra and you go through your real training. You may be strong do to your elvin blood and dragon rider abilities but you are inexperienced. You will have to fight, and right now you are as good as worthless. Now spar with me." He now stood across from me, baring the stick as though it were a sword.

"Wha-?" But before I could finish my question Jak had charged forward, smacked the stick out of my hand and had his less then an inch away from my throat. All his movements were fluid; they ran together smoothly as though it was almost a dance and every movement was predetermined.

"There is no time for talk while in battle." In another swift movement he had spun around behind me, wrapped his free arm around my throat and forced me to my knees. "Were this a real fight you would be long dead by now." Before I could react he was gone and then standing in front of me again. I gasped for air as he spoke again, "You must be ready to fight at any time, ready to hold your ground. Now stand and defend yourself."

He backed a few steps away while he waited for me to stand and pick up the stick. As soon as I was fully standing and had the stick in my hands Jak charged at me again, but this time I was expecting him and was able to parry his blow. Our sticks remained in contact for a second, though it seemed like time had stopped during that mere second. Jak's face was less then a foot away from mine and for the first time since he escaped a faint smile touched his lips.

"Good." His voice was but a whisper and as it ended so did the seemingly halted time. Jak spun around me and there was a loud crack as his stick smacked across the whole of my back. Dylan jumped up at the sight of it, but I ignored him and swung around to parry another blow from Jak.

We continued fighting like this, for what seemed like nearly an hour. I was able to stand my ground fairly well against him; I parried many blows, and even landed a few of my own. At one point he commented about me being left handed, "It's been a long time since I've come across another lefty." It was only then that I realized that Jak too was left handed. Though, I quickly came to regret realizing it just then, for Jak caught me off guard because of it and landed another sharp blow to my back, in the same spot as the first time.

This was not the first time that I had fought like this, nor was this the first time that I had my back wounded so. The spot on my back hurt, but it was nothing compared to what I had gone through in the past. Just a few years ago I had started sparring with Jason in much the same manor, though he wasn't much of a challenge for me and soon he grew tired of being beaten on. After that I sought out others to challenge, those much older than Jason and me. As Jak jumped back and swung his wooden stick at me from the side a memory flashed through my mind:

_My hands were covered in sweat, with a small amount of blood oozing from my fingers. It was hard to breath, and it didn't seem like this fight was going to end anytime soon. It had already been well over an hour since the fight started and the both of us were sure to have many bruises by now, and maybe even a broken rib or two. I looked up at my opponent, who had backed off for the time being._

_He was big, which only made sense since he was well over ten years older then I. I let a small smile cross my face as I realized that the man was angry. Of course he was angry, who wouldn't be? I mean, how often is it that a grown man can barely hold his ground against a thirteen year old girl? Of course, if I really wanted to I could overpower him and end this fight, but it was too fun to end it like that. _

_Taking one more deep breath I charged forward and swung the makeshift wooden sword that I held in my left hand and smacked it into his wooden sword. Grinning now I slid back and charged at him once more, this time putting more force into the swing, and gripping the sword with both hands. This one last blow snapped the top off of the guys' wooden sword and sent him skidding a few feet back._

_This was the end of the fight, and everyone knew it as they started to crowd around us even more. The teenage boys that had been watching quickly surrounded me and started to offer me help. I ignored them and quickly pushed my way out of the crowd and up to Jason and Mia, who were waiting patiently for me while leaning against a tree. _"I don't get why you like to spar so much, but it does seem pretty cool." _Mia said while pushing off the tree and wrapping her arms around me._

_I smiled and dropped the wooden sword, and returned the hug. _**"**What else is there to do here? Since I'm strong, why not try to learn how to fight? Right, Jason?**"** _My voice was only slightly ragged, which made Jason smile._

**"**I guess that seems about right. Maybe one day all this fake fighting will come in handy. Who knows, someday you may actually have to defend yourself for real? It'd be cool if this little bit of training helped to save your life somehow.**"** _Jason laughed and walked over to us, and wrapped his arms around me as soon as Mia let go. His embrace was nice and warm, and it was almost as though it was giving me energy._

_Jason leaned his head closer and whispered into my ear, _**"**Sis, if you ever leave this place…if you ever leave me, try to take care of yourself. I just know that someday you will be the one to leave here, just promise that you'll never forget me, and no matter what, don't die.**"** _Those words were etched into my head that very day._

I shook my head side to side as I brought my thoughts back into reality. That memory was from almost three years ago; how could Jason have possibly known that I was going to be leaving like this? Is this why he let me go so easily? Either way the memory, coupled with another flash from the ghostly dream from almost two weeks ago, brought a slight tear to my eye.

It must have been obvious that I was lost in my own thoughts for Jak had stopped mid attack and was just staring at me with a bewildered expression on his face. "You…have a broth-er?" His words were slightly broken.

"Huh?" It took me a minute to realize what he was talking about. But how did he know of Jason? I hadn't even really told Dylan about Jason yet, so how did Jak know, and why was he asking now?

"You don't realize what you just did, do you?" Jak asked, and I just shook my head while I looked at him. "Somehow you just projected that _memory_ straight into my head, and I saw it all just as you did. I'm not sure how you managed to do that. I mean, I have tight walls around my mind right now that makes it hard for even a full grown elf to infiltrate my mind. Plus you weren't even trying to; you were just remembering something, and even when someone tries to force a memory onto someone it doesn't happen like that. What's more is that it was only me that received your memory; Dylan is utterly confused right now."

"Confused as hell. What are you two talking about?" Dylan frowned as he sat by the fire, just watching us. He had obviously given up on trying to stop Jak from hurting me too much during the fight and gone back to just watching.

"Do I have to use simple words, Dylan? She somehow projected one of her memories straight into my head without trying to. Hmm, I guess I was wrong about you being completely inexperienced. It seems as though you have sparred like this for quiet some time now, though you've never sparred this seriously before or with such a tough opponent."

"Now, Kyra, who is this Jason you call your brother? Is he truly your brother? What is going on? And, who is Mia? You almost started crying at the very memory of her." Did I really? I know my body was wracked with emotion and I wanted to cry, but was it really that obvious? Or maybe he was mistaken by me almost crying over the memory of the dream; of the memory of Jason.

"Jason is not my real brother. He is more of a foster brother, for his mom was the one who cared for me all these years. We grew up as brother and sister even though there is no real kinship between us. And if you don't know of Mia then Dylan didn't explain things like I thought he did. Mia was my best friend, but she was killed by Murtagh less then two months ago. I'll explain anything else you want me to tomorrow. For now, can we get back to training?" I could feel it; the light in my eyes had dulled and there was no emotion on my face. I was almost lifeless. Just by talking about the death of my best friend put me in such a mood, even after all this time. There was also Jason – ever since I had that dream every time I think or talk about Jason I get a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Nodding, Jak regained his stance and charged at me again. This time I was able to stop his attack thrust him backwards and attack him. My stick slammed into his left side, then swung around and chopped down on his right shoulder. Rolling around him I was able to get the back of his head just as he got a clean shot at my right side.

*Crack* I fell to my knees, panting heavily, and clutching my now broken stick. Jak had his hands on his knees and was staring at me wide eyed; his stick was now in multiple pieces scattered on the ground around him. "Incredible. When you empty your mind and really focus your speed and power increases exponentially, and even your tactics seem better. You truly are something else, Kyra." Even though Jak was exhausted he was full of excitement, and seeing him so energetic and happy brought a smile to my face.

"Kyra, that was amazing!" Dylan shouted while bounding over and helping me up. "You managed to overpower Jak, a full elf! How _did_ you do that?"

"I…don't know." I gasped slightly and my head began to pound again. The end of the fight was really strange. How did I manage to move so fast, and break his stick into so many pieces? Why was my heart racing so much, and how come the pain that I know filled my body wasn't there?

"Like I said, she sure is something else." Jak had a smile on his face when he stood up; an absolutely stunning smile. "Though, I'm pretty rusty after spending three months down in that cell. I'm sure you won't be able to do it again."

The smile on Jak's face was not unlike Dylans smile, but it wasn't quite the same either. Their faces were so similar that of course their smiles would be similar as well, but Jak's was more graceful and serine. It made my heart happy to see him actually smile. While he smiled the pain that always glowed in his eyes dimmed immensely. "Pfft. Rusty, eh? That just sounds like an excuse to me." I laughed lightly as I spoke.

_"Little flower, you did well. I am very proud of you. Though, this is only the beginning of what is to come."_

_"Nyte!"_ I was happy that Nyte had returned, and patiently stared up into the sky as I awaited his decent. "You think I'm just using it as an excuse? Want me to beat that thought out of your head?!" Jak growled and leaped towards me, but there was still a faint smile on his face.

Dylan moved between us and caught Jak before he reached me, sending them both tumbling to the ground. They rolled for a few feet, and their movements made it seem as though they were almost wrestling. When the swift movements ended Jak was sitting on top of Dylan's back, pulling Dylan's arm up between his shoulder blades. "You know that I'm stronger and faster then you Dylan. Never once have you beaten me at a wrestling game, or at a game of tag for that matter."

Laughing, Dylan commented, "I know, I know. But, it's been so long since I've been able to play with you, and you gave me such a perfect opening, so I took that chance and had some fun. There's nothing wrong with that."

_"Wow you two sure look silly." _Nyte's voice boomed through our heads as he circled into a landing. _"At least everyone's lightened up and having some fun. Though, it is rather late, so why don't we all get some sleep?"_

_"That sounds good to me!"_ Ignoring the two boys that were still wresting on the ground I bounced over to Nyte and leaned against him as he curled up into his sleeping position. As I pulled out the blanket from my bag I watched Dylan and Jak stop their playing and do the same. This time both of the elves decided to sleep closer to me. It seemed, for the time being, that Jak had warmed up to me. Just from one little spar, and one shared memory, he seemed to be much kinder towards me, much more accepting. I sincerely hoped that things would stay this way, for I was _not_ looking forward to a grumpy Jak again. I also hoped that he would continue to smile; it was such a wonderful smile.

The night was short, but it was enough to rest. When I had laid down to sleep the aches and pains from the nights sparring finally started to creep into me. It was weird that only then did the pains come to me. But, when morning came, most of the pains were gone, besides a small sore spot on my back.

We moved quickly in the early morning light; gathering up our stuff and removing all traces of the fire. As soon as Nyte took off into the air we took off running; Jak leading the way and Dylan and I off to either of his sides and just slightly behind him.

_"Kyra, Jak has a lot to talk about today. He also has a lot of questions for you. You don't have to answer them if you don't want to, but would you please answer as many as you can? And, Jak wants your permission to talk to you through your thoughts, like we are now. He may seem rude sometimes, but he knows that it is wrong to invade someone's mind without permission."_

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"Very honorable. Yes, he has my permission, and I will answer his questions to the best of my ability."_ It was quiet while I waited for Dylan to inform Jak that it was okay to 'talk' to me.

A slight pressure pushed on my head as Jak's mind collided with my own. _"Kyra…first things first; I want to know all of what happened with Mia, and all that happened with Murtagh." _His 'voice' seemed weary and strange, as though he was unsure of talking to me in this manor. Though, as time went on he grew more use to it. _"Also…I'd like to apologize for my behavior when we first met. It was uncalled for. I was a bit upset, and very untrusting. It was due to trust that I was imprisoned in the first place. So, I am truly sorry."_

_"It's understandable. Besides, I've already forgiven you."_ After that I began explaining everything to Jak. First I started with how good of friends Mia and I were, then our adventure into the spine and finding Nyte's egg. And after that, how I had heard Mia's scream from so far away, and ran to her aid just in time to see the black dragon disappear into the sky and to hear Mia's last words. I told him how I carried Mia all the way to her home, how her mother accused me of her murder, and how the guards tried to arrest me. Next I told him how I ran and eventually ran straight into Dylan, and briefly explained my time spent with Dylan in the spine. Lastly I explained in full detail what had happened when I met Murtagh face to face on that fateful day.

Throughout my explanation Jak asked many questions, and I answered all of them, to his surprise. After my explanation Jak continued to ask questions, all focusing on aspects of my life. The first half of the day was spent like thus; Jak asking questions, me answering them and Dylan just quietly listening to the whole thing.

As the day grew on Jak's questions died down. Just as the great forest of Du Weldenvarden was clearly visible from the ground and seemingly not that far away, Jak switched the topic of our discussion. _"While in Du Weldenvarden we must be careful. We will see other elves from time to time, so while we travel you will travel with your hood up, Kyra. Also, Nyte will not be permitted to fly into Du Weldenvarden, and must walk like the rest of us. He will have to travel a different route then us and hide as much as possible. If we reach the edge of the forest by tonight, then it should only take us one more day to get to Ellesméra. We are going much faster then I thought."_

_"Why will Nyte have to hide, as well as myself? Are the elves not worth trusting?" _

_"They are more trustworthy then humans. But, we do not want to cause too much of an uproar yet. We must wait until you meet with Queen Islanzadí. She is the only ruler of the elves, so it is only proper that a new dragon rider is first brought to her. Also, you will be an important guest either way."_

_"Hmm, I just thought of something. Nyte, he is the last living Dragon other then the kings, huh? That fact makes him feel lonely…makes me feel lonely."_

_"Ah, not quite. You see, the king held three dragon eggs after the fall of the dragons and their riders. A red one, a blue one, and a green one. Long ago one of our best men, and I mean a member of the Varden not an elf, was able to break into Galbatorix's realm and steal away just one of the eggs; the blue one. I heard that a few months before I was captured the egg bearer was ambushed, but she was able to send the egg into safety, where it hatched for a young man. I have heard countless tales of this person, and by the sounds of them he is on our side. He was even in Dras-Leona right after I was captured."_

_"Hmm, yes, I have heard a few of the tales, now that I think about it. Let's only hope that they are true. Wouldn't it be amazing if the other new dragon rider is already in Ellesméra? I'd love to meet him and his dragon."_

_"Yes, yes." _Jak's voice seemed slightly irritated now, _"For now there are more pressing things that we need to talk about. You need to know what awaits you in Ellesméra, the proper way to do things, more of the ancient language, and mostly, more about who you are, and who your father was."_

_"My father? I've been trying to get Dylan to tell me about him for ages, but he won't tell me much at all. It's rather annoying; I don't even know his name."_

_"He had good reasons for keeping it secret, and you will learn about him later today. For now, we will start with the more basic things."_

Jak was now the one to speak, and I the one to ask questions, and still Dylan was left just to listen. The rest of the day we spent talking about many things, a lot of which I couldn't fully understand. One thing was for sure; I was very thankful that Dylan had taught me the proper greeting in the elven language long ago. It was one less thing that I had to learn. By the time we reached the edge of Du Weldenvarden it was night fall, and my head was ready to explode from everything I learned. Stuff from how normal elves act, to how to talk to the queen, and so on and so forth.

_"Ah, little flower, it seems as though you have had a long day. At times I was tempted to join in on the conversation, but that would have been rather rude. Although, I should eat Jak where he stands for prodding so deeply into such private matters, especially when we know none of his secrets." _Nyte growled as he landed in the camp and padded up to me.

We all knew that Nyte's threat was empty; not only did quickly lie on the ground, but he also rolled over, much like a cat, so that most of his stomach was showing. Slowly, he let his tongue roll out of his mouth and hang there. _"I was only barely able to keep up with what you guys were talking about later on though. The winds were strong when I flew too high into the sky. I am tired now, and shall sleep. I suggest everyone gets to sleep here soon, so as not to wake me."_

"You are silly Nyte. Sleep well, and we'll try not to be too noisy." I patted his exposed stomach, and then sat down and enjoyed another dinner of a plain bread roll and a few berries.

Once dinner was done Jak tossed me another stick, but this time he didn't have to explain to me what he was doing, or even initiate the start of the fight. Before he was able to speak the words, I had charged forward, and smacked my stick against his. Thus was the start of the fight. For the first half of the fight, I was only barely able to defend against Jak's moves, and after he knocked the stick out of my hand, I decided to try and clear my mind like I had the night before.

It took some time, but once my mind was clear, and face void of emotion, we resumed the battle, which lasted for nearly an hour again. Throughout the fight I gained many whacks to the head, back, shoulders and thighs, but Jak gained just as many. Once again the fight ended with Jaks stick broken into many pieces, and mine just in two. But this time I was able to stay standing, and Jak had fallen to his knees.

"Fine, I agree that you do have some skill. It is rather remarkable, the way you move in battle. Like I said yesterday, you sure are something else. Now sleep so we may rise early in the morning." Jak grinned, patted me softly on the shoulder, and started making his bead next to where Dylan had his already laid out.

As I laid down the aches and pains crept into my body yet again, but they weren't nearly as bad as I thought they'd be. And, yet again, when morning came the pains were almost completely gone. The sun was barely showing on the horizon when we awoke, but it was still light enough for us to get a move on.

"So, Nyte, you understand that you must enter Du Weldenvarden by walking, yes? Good. Also, since we still have so long in the day, we will be able to reach Ellesméra before nightfall. This means that you will have to hide for a good portion of the day and then fly as fast as you can to meet up with us before we reach Ellesméra," said Dylan, "Do you think you can do it?"

_"Of course I can do it! There is no need to worry, foolish elf. Move swiftly, for I will as well." _Nyte walked up to the edge of the forest and eased his way in between two trees. Sighing, we followed him into the great forest.

Just a few paces into the forest we stopped and all of us put our cloaks on and hoods up while Nyte ventured on into the forest. _"Don't get lost, Nyte."_

_"I will not get lost, Kyra. I am a dragon, and we dragons have a great sense of direction." _Nyte growled as he slinked out of sight. _"Let's just hope that the two idiots leading you know exactly where they are going."_

_"Play nice, Nyte. You're going to have to learn how to behave once we reach Ellesméra." _I laughed at the thought.

_"Please. I will behave just fine once we reach Ellesméra. You have naught to worry about. I only misbehave around those two because, like I said, they are idiots. Now, go and have some fun, and try not to catch their idiotism."_

As Nyte and his stream of insults that never reached Dylan and Jak disappeared into the forest we started to get a move on ourselves. The forest was thick, unlike any forest I had ever seen. When I looked up towards the sky all I could see was thick branches covered in green leaves with maybe a sliver of the sky showing here or there.

The ground was treacherous for it was covered in many tree roots, small dips and up rises with many different plants sprawled across it. Many times we had to leap through the air to avoid particularly treacherous ground, but every time we made it just fine. Just a few hours after we started traveling we passed by a small group of elves. Only a few of them actually stopped to look at us, and the rest acted as though there was nothing to see.

We pasted by more elves after that, but by noon we stopped seeing them altogether. It was just about noon when I noticed that the trees were starting to get taller and wider. As the day grew on, it also grew quieter.

At first, our day had started out with much conversation between the three of us. But it slowed to a quiet halt when both Dylan and Jak became too excited for words. It was obvious that they were both very happy to be returning home after so long. These thoughts made me long for the home I left back in Kuasta. No, it made me realize that I no longer have a home. Jason would forever stay my brother, but he and Anne were no longer my family, and I knew that I could never go back there and call it home after what had happened.

Maybe someday I'd be able to go back and visit. Spend a few hours with Jason, and pay my respects to Mia. That was a possibility, if I lived long enough to be able to return to there. But never would I be able to live there, and call that place my home again. When I left, it was the start of a new life, and this is that life. Maybe somewhere I will be able to find a new home…maybe that home will be here in Du Weldenvarden.

Thinking of the task at hand yet again, I was able to keep my thoughts a little more in line. An hour or so before dusk was to fall we stopped in a small-almost-clearing. Shortly after we stopped Nyte appeared at the edge of our little 'clearing'.

"We will now proceed at a slower pace for we are not far from the guardian. Let's go." Jak announced as he walked on into the forest. Dylan followed closely behind him, and then I followed with Nyte right behind me.

Not long after we continued walking an elf appeared before us, with a bright ray of light showering down on him through the tops of the trees. He was wearing flowing robes, and a circlet of silver rested on his head. His face was old, serene and noble.

Both Jak and Dylan flipped their hoods off and bowed slightly to the elf before us.

"Kyra," muttered Dylan, "Show him your left palm." Taking off the glove on my left hand, I held my hand, palm out so that the elf could see the gedwëy ignasia that was scarred into my hand. The elf smiled lightly, closed his eyes and spread his arms in welcome.

"Let us be on our way." Jak said. Carefully we walked around the man, who I now realized was Gilderien the Wise that Jak had spoken of the day before. As soon as we were all past him he clasped his hands together and vanished and the light that had illuminated him ceased to exist.

A short while later the forest thinned and breaks appeared in the canopy, allowing more light to shower down on us. We stopped underneath two burled trees that leaned against one another. The ground before us was covered in thick patches of flowers, from pink roses to lilies, while hordes of bumblebees flocked about them. To the right a stream chuckled behind a row of bushes. At first it seemed just like a clearing but slowly I was able to see paths hidden among the bushes and trees as well as buildings that grew directly out of the trees in marvelous manners.

Slowly elves began to poor into the central way as they realized that we were no threat. Most of them wore silvery hair, and not a single woman had their hair tied up. All of the elves possessed a delicate, ethereal beauty that made them seem flawless. They all wore rustic tunics of green and brown, fringed with dusky colors of orange and gold. _They truly are the fair folk._ I couldn't help but to think this to myself. Elves had always been nicknamed the fair folk, and now it made perfect sense.

As one, the elves bowed from the waist. Then they smiled and laughed with pure happiness as the pushed a little closer to us. Dylan reached back and pulled my hood down so my face was clearly visible. The elves cheered with joy as they saw my face and advanced forward yet again.

Jak and Dylan walked forward and Nyte and I quickly followed. The elves parted for us, and ended up looping around so we were encircled by them. One elf started singing in the ancient language, and soon enough others joined in on her merriment. The song was beautiful, but I could not understand but a hand full of words from it.

The elves continued to follow our group and danced and leaped around us in a carefree manor. We followed a cobblestone path that looped among the hollyhocks, houses and trees and eventually over a stream.

"Welcome, to our great city of Ellesméra." Dylan laughed as he slowed down to walk by my side. I only nodded and smiled, and reached out to Nyte with my thoughts, _"This is such a wonderful place, is it not? I could truly live here in peace."_

_"Yes, such a wonderful, peaceful place. But I can't help but to wonder how the queen will react to us."_

_"Well, I guess we are about to find out."_ And at that the path we were following ended at a net of roots that formed steps. At the top of the stairs was a door embedded within a wall of saplings. As we stopped in front of them the doors swung open to reveal a great hall of trees, where the ceiling was made of branches melded together. Along each wall sat twelve chairs, and in each of the chairs sat elf lords and ladies.

Their faces were smooth and unmarked by age as their keen eyes stared at us with excitement and their body's leaned forward. Unlike the other elves, they had swords belted to their waists and circlets placed upon their heads. At the very end of the room sat Queen Islanzadí upon a throne of knotted roots. A brilliant white raven perched on a curved rod that sat to the queens left.

We advanced forward and a few feet before the queen we stopped and, one by one, bowed to the queen. Even Nyte lowered his head in a bow to the queen of the elves. As we bowed the white raven furiously flapped his wings and soared over our heads while screaming, "Aiedail!" I looked up slightly to see the raven land in front of me. My heart almost shattered at the sound of my mothers name coming from the raven.

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End of Chapter 8! ((Up next: _Chapter 9: What it means to be a Dragon Rider_))


	9. Chapter 9: What it means to be a Rider

**A/N:** Hey everyone. Once again I am sorry for the HUGE gap in time between my uploads. I get distracted, real life stuff happens, I forget, or just don't feel like doing it - but, I'm human, so that's normal. lol.  
Also, I'm thinking of re-writing this story soon anyways. I'll still continue this as far as I can and will upload chapters when possible, but I'll get started on the re-writing process as well. So, you can look forward to more chapters here, and possibly even a new version all together here soon. :)  
So, here's the new chapter. I hope you enjoy it. :)  
Oh, and, sorry about the title. The whole thing wouldn't fit in. :\

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Story:

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Chapter 9: What it means to be a Dragon Rider.

The air cracked as my mothers name was screeched once again. The white raven padded back and forth in front of me, but no one else seemed to care for the bird or what it had to say. Except for the queen, who sounded irritated as she hushed the bird, "Quiet, Blagden." At her words the bird flew back to its perch, but seemed to keep its eyes on me. "Now, rise, all of you."

One by one our small group rose until we were all standing in the rightful manor. "It is good to see your safe return, twins Dylan and Jak. You are the pride and joy of the elves, second not even to Dusan and Alanna. It ailed me greatly when you two decided to got to the Varden. Children such as yourselves still have much to learn, and even though you are strong, it is but a dangerous thing to have you in battle. I am only so grateful that you two have returned safely."

"And you have brought a dragon rider and her dragon with you. It is a strange thing, seeing a new rider two days in a row. But, what I do not understand is how this can be possible. Was it not that only a Blue, Green and Red egg were shown mercy by Galbatorix? How has this purple dragon come into existence?"

My head spun with the words that the queen had spoken. Dylan and Jak were twins? They never mentioned anything about that before. They acted so similar, looked so much alike, and were the only elves I had seen with red hair so far - though I never thought that they were siblings. But, why were they the pride and joy of the elves? And why had they kept their blood relation secret from _me_? And, it was true, how could Nyte's egg exist? Dylan had never explained where it had come from.

"My queen," Dylan was the one to speak, "We are both very happy to be home once again, and happy to be shown so much kindness. Yes, it is true, what you say about the eggs Galbatorix showed mercy to. Though, on our journeys with the Varden Jak and I found the violet egg that hosted this dragon hidden away on the isle of Nía. We never got the chance to send word back to you, for you had cut off all contact with the Varden some time before that, when Arya was captured."

"Ah, yes, I see. You will have to explain more to me later, and I shall have some explanations for you as well. Now," The queen turned her attention away from the twins and towards Nyte and me, "I am sorry for ignoring you until now, our most important guests."

I remembered the elven greeting that Dylan had taught me so long ago, and touched my lips and twisted my right hand over my sternum. "Queen Islanzadí. Atra esterní ono thelduin."

The queen's eyes narrowed in slight confusion, "Atra du evarínya ono varda."

"Un atra mor'ranr lífa unin hjarta onr," I replied, finishing the ritual. I could tell that the elves were mostly caught off guard by my knowledge of the greeting.

"She is much like Eragon," The queen muttered to herself, before continuing out loud again, "Dragon, what is your name?"

_"Nyte."_

The queen smiled and nodded, "Welcome to Ellesméra, Nyte. And what is your name, rider?"

"My name is Kyra and I am the daughter of Aiedail and Kian." I had learned my fathers name yesterday while Jak was teaching me about Ellesméra. Although, Jak had failed to tell me anything else about my father by saying that there was someone else who had to tell me such things. As I spoke my parent's names chaos erupted from the elf lords and ladies that sat in the room. At first there were just loud gasps and other expressions of surprise, but then low mutters filled the air. The queen especially seemed surprised.

"How can this be? Can you really be Kian's child? How do you even know such a thing? Jak, Dylan, I demand an explanation. How did you come across this girl?" The queen's eyes were full of suspicion.

_"It seems as though no one is willing to trust me as of yet."_

_ "Kyra, it is because they are cautious people. Kian must have been very important to them, so they must only make sure that you are truly his daughter."_ As Nyte and I spoke to one another through our private link for a moment, Dylan started explaining things to the queen. He told the whole story of how he met me, how Nyte's egg had hatched for me, our encounter with Murtagh, and even our rescue of Jak.

"I see," Islanzadí's eyes burned brightly as she returned her attention to me, "Oh what a fine day this is! We have awaited your return to this place, O' daughter of Aiedail. And you have become a dragon rider! This is news that will lift the spirits of any elf who hears it. My daughter has returned and now we have two dragons and their riders to defend against the menace of Galbatorix and his dragon! But there are things we must tend to. It is late, and our guests must want to sleep for they have had such a long tiresome journey and not much time to rest."

"Accompany me, Nyte and Kyra, and I shall show you where you can rest for the night. Twins, you may come with us as well." And at that the queen walked past us and out the door we had entered. Once the door opened it was easy to see that just during the short while we had been indoors that night had fallen upon us.

We walked through the trees in silence as we followed the queen. There were very few elves out and about, but they did well to keep themselves away from us since we were being led by the queen. When we came close to another elf they would respectfully bow and then continue on their way. We passed a tree rigged with a staircase that spiraled up to a series of globular rooms cupped and suspended in the tree's crown by a spray of branches. As we past beside it I could feel a strong presence emitting from it.

Not long afterwards we stopped in front of a tree identical to the one that we had just passed under. "This is where the second in command of the riders stayed while in Ellesméra. The other rider and his dragon dwell over there, where they are probably asleep by now. He has the rightful position as the leader of the riders, so you are now heir to the title of second in command. You shall meet them and the ones who will train you tomorrow. Now," The queen pointed to part of the tree house, "Nyte, you will have to fly up there for the stairs were not made with dragons in mind."

"I thank you, my queen." I smiled and bowed slightly at the queen as I started to head for the stairs.

"There is no need for thanks, my young friend." The queen half laughed as she turned to walk away, "Though, I do feel as though I've said much the same things yesterday as well. What a strange day this is indeed. Now, come twins, and I shall show you where you will stay."

"Kyra," Dylan's voice fluttered towards me, and when I turned around he was standing right in front of me, Jak beside him. Dylan leaned forward and wrapped his arms around me in a brief hug. "We are both very thankful, and understand that there is still a lot that we must explain to you. Though now is not the time, and we shall not see you tomorrow. We are uncertain when we will see you again."

"But don't think you're getting rid of us that easily!" Jak laughed. As soon as Dylan let go of me Jak grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. His arms wrapped around me tighter then Dylans had, and held me closer to him. Dylan's hug did come as a slight surprise, but Jak hugging me was even more of a surprise.

Jak held the hug for another moment until the queen called for them again. "We'll see you as soon as we can, so until then take care of yourself. Fair well, Kyra." His voice was but a whisper in my ear; his breath was warm and soothing. Ever so slowly he unwrapped his arms, smiled at me, and then turned to follow Dylan who had already started making his way towards the queen.

_"They sure are strange ones." _Nyte said before leaping into the air and gliding up to the tree house. _"Come. Let us see what our living quarters will be like."_

A few minutes passed by before I started to head up the stairs. During those few minutes I stood and watched as Jak and Dylan followed the queen deeper into the forest. I was surprised by Jaks actions, yes, but even more then that I was surprised at how much I liked what he did, and how much I wished that he was still standing right beside me. As soon as Jak was out of sight I turned to face the stairs that I had to climb.

The steps were steep, but they were not much of a problem for me. I could have probably reached the top without the steps, but that would consume too much time and effort. So, the stairs were indeed helpful, but I liked the trapdoor at the top of the stairs the most. It led into a circular room that looked to be the main room. Three screen doors led to other rooms, and there was a staircase leading higher up.

The first one I entered was definitely the bedroom; there was a bed against the wall and a depression on the floor that was outlined with soft blankets. There was a huge hole in the wall were Nyte suddenly appeared. _"This is amazing! You can easily fit through the hole in the wall. There's even a bed for you. This is my kind of house."_

_ "Yes, and it seems as though there are rooms higher up that I can fly to. This is a befitting place for creatures so in tune with nature itself."_ Nyte curled up on his new bed and closed his deep crystal eyes. _"We should sleep. We've had a long journey, and now is our chance to rest."_

_ "First, I want to explore around a little bit and see if I can find a place to take a bath. I haven't bathed in almost two months!"_ I laughed and skidded out of the room, leaving Nyte to himself. The next room I entered after going into the main room was one with a deep impression on the floor. There was no doubt about it; it had to be the bathtub!

Hopping to it, I searched around to see if I could find any nozzles. After a moment I was able to find an indent in the wall, that once pressed, opened to reveal two nozzles. Quickly I filled the tub with hot water and slung off my pack and cape. Before undressing I ruffled through my bag and pulled out the only clean clothes I had left; a black tunic and brown ruffled pants.

I could feel my muscles relaxing as I lowered myself into the steaming water. At first it almost burned, the heat of the water, but I found myself enjoying it before long. I sinked low into the tub, until my chin rested below the water, and closed my eyes. It was nice, just soaking in the water, like it was washing all my worries, aches and pains away.

I could have stayed like that forever if it weren't for the fact that I knew that Nyte was waiting for me to return. With a slight sigh I found myself a bar of soap and started to wash all the dirt and scum of the past two months away. While bathing I took count of my few wounds; there was a thick welt going across my back, more then likely from the sparring, there was a few bruises along my legs, my feet were bruised and battered, and there was, of course, the wound on my right arm. By the time I was done washing my skin seemed to almost shimmer in the water; everything looked so much better, other then the wound on my arm, which looked as fresh as ever.

Once my bath was over I dressed, drained the tub, and left the room to find two trays of food waiting for me just outside the door. They were both identical; covered in bread's, fruits and vegetables. There was a note left by an elf named Bellaen saying that the food was dinner for Nyte and me. _"Hey Nyte, wake up! Dinner time!"_

I called out to Nyte as I carried the trays back into the bedroom. _"You call that dinner? Dragons eat meat, not plants!" _Nyte criticized as he studied the food with a yawn.

_"Whatever. I'll ask them about it tomorrow. For now, it's better then nothing." _I yawned myself, while placing a plate of food onto the floor for Nyte and began eating my own.

Dinner concluded and Nyte and I crawled into our respective beds. The bed was soft and warm, so welcoming when I had only slept on the earth and the floor of the Inn for the past two months. Just as I started to settle down into the bed a strange feeling came over me - I felt oddly _alone_. Sitting up, I looked at Nyte, who had one of his sky blue eyes staring directly at me. After that it only took me a few moments to abandon the bed, as comfy as it was, gather up the blankets and slide in next to Nyte.

_"What is the matter, little flower?"_ Nyte nudged my softly with his head as he moved into a more comfortable position.

_"After sleeping so close to everyone all the time a big empty bed like that makes me feel so lonely. I long for the presence of someone near me whilst I sleep."_

_ "I completely understand, and I am more then willing to share my bed with you, and you know that." _Nyte hummed softly for a moment as he closed his eyes, and I closed mine in return. It was quiet then, but only for a few minutes. _"But it is more then just that, is it not? Your first night in Dras-Leona…You had one of _those_ dreams, didn't you? I've been seeing glimpses of it for but a second here and there."_

I sighed. I should have known that I wouldn't have been able to keep it from Nyte; it was foolish of me for even trying to. _"Kyra, I am a dragon, and you are my rider. We are connected so deeply that we are part of each other - we can experience each others pains like it is our own, as well as other emotions and feelings. I understand the feeling of wanting to keep things secret, but you, as a dragon rider, should not keep secrets from your dragon. We may have separate bodies, but we share the same soul. Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences with me."_

_ "Nyte…" _ I shook my head lightly, _"I have the right to privacy, dragon rider or no."_

_ "Do you not understand? Being a dragon rider is a life changing experience. No matter what you will never be able to live life in the same fashion you did before you became my rider. I know it may seem unfair, but it is the truth, Kyra."_

_ "I know that privacy is important…but when it comes to you and I, there should be no secrets. It is alright if you keep little, unimportant, things from me, but for things this serious, you should really not leave me in the dark. Kyra, I love you, and that is also the truth. I spent years and years in that egg and never once did I feel as though the world was safe enough for me to leave it. Not until the day that you first held me. Your touch sent a spark of interest through me, a spark of security and belonging. I knew, somehow, that you were the one for me."_

_ "Fine…"_ I gave in - there was no way that I could resist an argument like that, _"Yes, I had one of _those_ dreams. It was about Jason…"_ I then proceeded to explain the short dream to Nyte. It only took but a minute or so but fully recounting it was painful.

_"Oh, little flower…I am sure things will be just fine. If only there was a way to contact him…" _Nyte's thoughts faded as he realized, just as I had long ago, that there was nothing that we could do to help Jason at this point.

We continued to talk until there was nothing left to say. In a way it felt good to share my dream with Nyte, but in other ways it made the dread completely resurface again. I fell asleep thinking of many things, but mostly there were two people on my mind; Jason….and Jak. The thoughts were so mixed; from sad and depressing to happy and upbeat.

That morning two trays of food were left outside of the bedroom door as well as a bundle of clothes. In front of the trays was another note from Bellaen explaining that it was our breakfast, that there were clothes for me, and how deeply sorry he was to Nyte. It explained that no meat was allowed inside of Ellesméra, and Nyte would have to hunt for his own meat outside of the city limits.

After eating I unwound the bundle to reveal an intricately made brown and dusty red cloak. Next I pulled out a gold and green dress, with light red leafy designs flowing across the bottom. I held it up and it fell to about floor level. "Grrrreat. Just what I needed."

Nyte was easily able to detect the sarcasm in my voice, _"I think it's very pretty. You should wear it. It would look very nice on you."_

_ "I'm not wearing a dress."_ Though, the next thing made the dress almost seem welcoming. I held up a pair of elven shoes to show Nyte. _"And they can forget about making me wear these as well. But, well, at least I got a nice cloak."_

Leaving the bedroom momentarily, I went back into the bathroom and opened a cupboard to reveal a small hand held mirror and matching brush; I had seen them the night before but was too lazy to grab them then. I took them back to the bedroom and proceeded to brush out my hair. I hadn't really paid attention to it before, but my hair had grown quite a bit in the last few months. It went from shoulder length to reaching past my breasts. I smiled lightly as I found a hair tie and pulled my hair back into a simple pony tail whilst leaving a few strands of hair by the front loose. I then started to get dressed the rest of the way.

Just as I started to don my new cloak a nock came on the bedroom door. "Come in." I called out, not knowing what else to say. The door slid open to reveal a nicely dressed, black haired, beautiful elvin lady.

"Good, you are awake. Queen Islanzadí is waiting for you at the base of the tree." The lady turned to leave, but looked back and quickly added, "I am Arya, nice to meet you." Then she was gone as quickly as she had appeared.

_"That was weird." _Both Nyte and my thoughts matched. Finishing getting ready, I raced out the door and down the steep steps as Nyte floated out the window and to the base of the tree.

At the bottom both Arya and Queen Islanzadí were waiting patiently for us. The moment my bare foot reached the bottom step the queen spoke, "Come, there are a few people that you must meet." Her eyes briefly scanned me, probably noting that I wasn't wearing the dress or the shoes that they had sent to me. I suddenly began to wonder if it offended her that I didn't wear them.

She stalked off, Arya close beside her, and Nyte and I were quick to follow. She led us through the heart of Ellesméra, and then past that to the far edge where there were less and less homes, and less actual paths. We stopped momentarily at the bottom of a knoll, and then continued on to the top, where the trees were replaced by a bed of red clovers that ran all the way up to the edge of a cliff. We stopped and nothing was said. For a moment nobody even moved.

A strong gust of wind flowed by us, ruffling the clovers and the leaves of the trees behind us. The queen and Arya moved back until they were behind us. I placed my hand on Nytes side to steady myself as I watched and waited for something to happen. Mere moments later another gust of wind passed by us and up rose a beautiful blue dragon and its rider. I could feel my eyes widen at the sight, and knew that this must have been the dragon and rider that both Jak and the queen spoke of. But I was also surprised by the riders' expression; his eyes bulged and mouth dropped open as he saw us, almost mimicking my own expression.

Once the dragon landed the man riding the dragon quickly hopped off and headed straight for us. Arya quickly moved in front of us and up to the rider. "I'm sorry that I did not inform you of this earlier. She arrived here just last night. Not a single one of us had any knowledge of her existence, nor even the existence of the egg that dragon belonged to."

The rider ignored Arya's words and walked straight up to us mumbling, "I can't believe it! Another rider! Another dragon! This is amazing!" Once he got in front of us he bowed slightly and spoke aloud, "I am Eragon, Shadeslayer, pleased to meet you."

I returned the slight bow and said, "I am Kyra, it is nice to meet you, Eragon." The term Shadeslayer caught me off guard; it wasn't a new term, but I had never before met someone that had been able to slay a Shade. An automatic ray of respect for Eragon welled up inside me.

_"And I am Nyte."_ Nyte half growled as he let his thoughts flow into everyone's heads. He obviously wasn't impressed in the slightest, which made me momentarily wonder if he knew what a Shade was.

_"What's your problem, Nyte? Why growl?"_

_"It is nothing." _Nyte replied solely to me.

The sapphire colored dragon padded its way towards us. _"I am Saphira. I'm so very happy to meet you." _The dragon's voice was most definitely that of a girls'. At the sound of her voice I could feel Nyte relax. Saphira walked up to me, and then next to Nyte, making it obvious that she was much older then Nyte. She came close to almost twice his size. Nyte was still young and growing though.

_"It is nice to meet you, Saphira." _Nyte moved away from me and closer to Saphira. They quickly circled one another and started to examine each other. I could feel Nyte's excitement through our connection; he was so very thrilled to see another dragon for the first time, but he was able to conceal the excitement to a degree.

"Kyra…I have so many questions for you!" Eragon spoke, paying no attention to the dragons.

"Eragon, there will be time for that later. Now we must make them speak the promise so they can meet your master." It didn't take long for Arya and the Queen to explain to us what she had meant. What we were about to see next was a secret that the people of this city held near and dear to them. We had to promise not to speak a word of what we were about to see to anyone other then those who already knew (A small list of names were given, including both Jak and Dylans) without permission from either the queen, Arya, or the ones we were about to meet. (They explained that Arya was the Queen's daughter and thus was why she could give permission.)

Of course, they didn't make us say it in the normal human tongue, no, instead we had to say it in the Ancient Language. Thankfully it didn't take them longer then a few minutes to teach us the right words and pronunciations. As soon as we had finished Eragon, Saphira and the Queen moved behind us, leaving Arya the only one in front of us. Arya stood there motionless, seemingly concentrating on something, then moved away to join the others.

At that instant there was a loud booming sound from down below the cliff. The ground below my feet started to shake slightly as another boom resounded through the air, getting closer to us. One more time and I was tempted to cover my ears for the noise was so loud and powerful that I thought my ear drums would burst. There was one more loud boom, and whatever had been making the noise rose over the top of the cliff.

My eyes felt as though they were going to bulge out of my head as a huge gold dragon and its rider flew above the edge of the cliff. The dragon had to be at least as big as a house, possibly bigger. The man riding the dragon was an elf with long silver hair, and an air of wisdom about him. His face was stern yet solemn when his eyes swept across the scene before him.

The huge gold dragon circled around the cliff top once before landing a short distance in front of us. When the dragon was circling I noticed that it was missing its right foreleg. Instead of making me sad, like it would most people, it made me curious to how it happened…and to just how long this dragon had been around.

When the man descended from his dragon and walked towards me I bowed and started to recite the elven greeting. Although, before I could get past the first word the man stopped me. "No," he said, shaking his head at me, "There is no need for that. I am Oromis, known as Osthato Chewtowa; the morning sage, as well as Togira Ikonaka; the cripple who is whole. It is heartwarming, but discerning, to see a new dragon rider here today. Heartwarming for we are in dire need for more riders. Discerning for I had no idea that there was another rider; I could not sense you at all until the moment I laid eyes on you. Young one, what is your name?"

Oromis's eyes were full of kindness, yet they also felt strong. A light smile touched his lips as he asked for my name, and just as I was about to answer Arya stepped forward and interrupted me. "Oromis, I beg your forgiveness for not telling you of her when she first arrived. It was late and it was thought best that we wait until we could introduce her like this."

"What ails you, Arya? I can tell by your eyes that you are worried of my reaction upon meeting this new rider." Oromis's eyes smoldered with great knowledge as he shifted his gaze from my face to Arya's.

Arya's eyes momentarily drifted to the ground before quickly shooting back up to lock with Oromis's. "Her name is Kyra and…she is Kain's daughter."

At the mention of my fathers name everything seemed to move slowly, almost surreal. Arya crossed her arms across her chest and looked down shamefully. Oromis's eyes widened, then slowly filled with what seemed to be anger, but also something else; was it happiness colliding with the anger? Either way, the anger seemed to be winning as the dominate emotion right now. The huge gold dragon, whose name I still had yet to learn, stiffened and moved his head closer to me, so that one of his huge gold eyes was only a short distance from mine.

Things stayed like this, perfectly motionless, for what seemed to be an eternity. Finally the silence was broken, and Oromis was the one to do so. "I'm sorry for being so rude. The shock of it all is hard to absorb, but as I look at you now, it's blatantly obvious of who you are. I think I may have already known this when I first laid eyes on you, but my mind was unwilling to accept it. Kyra, I am very pleased to meet you."

_"As am I, young one. You may call me Glaedr."_ It was easy to tell that this new voice, Glaedr, belonged to the gold dragon that was staring me down. As the dragon spoke, the tension seemed to ease up a bit.

Just as I was trying to think of a reply, Nyte replied for me. _"It is an honor to meet you Glaedr, and you as well, Oromis. My name is Nyte, and it truly is a pleasure to be here in your presence today."_

At this time Eragon stepped forward, "I'm confused. Why did everything get so tense at the name of her father, Kian?"

"That is a story for another day, Eragon. Now, we must descend and begin your training. Though, now I am wary; Nyte is a rather young dragon, and Kyra has had no mentor. This means her training and knowledge is even less then yours, meaning she is farther behind. She will have to train hard to get anywhere in the short time that we have. I'm afraid that we do not have the time or capability to train you both separately, so Kyra will have to endure the same level of training as you. Now, we must go. By your leave, your highness?" Oromis's words were mostly directed at Eragon, except his last line which was directed at the Queen, who had been a quiet spectator up until now.

"Yes. Go." The Queen simply stated before calling Arya and walking back towards the forest. Arya followed, with what seemed to be a shameful look on her nearly expressionless face. Oromis turned and climbed into Glaedr's saddle, as Eragon did the same with Saphiras. As the two riders stared at me I realized that they were waiting for me, and I quickly placed myself in Nytes saddle. As Glaedr rose into the air, Saphira followed, and so did Nyte. The three dragons, and their riders, including myself, flew together for many miles along the cliff side until we reached a clearing alongside its edge. A bare path led from where we landed to the front door of a low hut grown from four trees, with a stream emerging from the forest right beside it.

"Welcome to my home, on the Crags of Tel'naeír." Oromis announced to me as we descended our dragons. As we walked forward, I noticed two stools precariously placed on the grass just outside of the hut. Oromis sat on one, and motioned for me to sit on the other. Looking over to Eragon he added, "I must talk with Kyra, but do not worry, I will not take as long with her as I did with you yesterday, for we must start your training soon. For the time being, you and Saphira can entertain yourselves over there, while Glaedr and I talk with Kyra and Nyte."

Eragon seemed a bit disappointed with this, but Saphira seemed even more upset. She lowered her head and stared at Nyte and Glaedr longingly as they padded towards us. Although, it didn't take long for Eragon to convince her to follow him to the spot that Oromis had pointed out.

Oromis stared at me quietly, and I stared back, not knowing what to say. He had said that he needed to speak to me yet he said nothing. Was he waiting for me to speak first, or was he waiting for something entirely different? Either way, I kept quiet for what seemed to be almost an hour, when finally he spoke.

"Seems that you too know the value of patience. Very well, let us begin."

For the next half hour Oromis patiently pestered me about all that had happened since I chanced upon Nytes egg until we reached Ellesméra. It was all very similar to my day with Jak just two days before. The moment I mentioned the meeting with Murtagh though, the quiet peacefulness that had been hanging in the air quickly turned sour. Oromis seemed to grow weary again, and thus he called over Eragon.

"This is something he must hear as well." Oromis explained to me as he called Eragon over. I patiently waited for Eragon to make his way over to us so that I could continue. "Eragon," Oromis's voice was weary yet again as he now spoke to Eragon, "She has something that you must here, about the existence of someone you care about."

_"Someone he cares about? But I was just talking about Murtagh…Could that be who he cares about?"_ My thoughts drifted towards Nyte, who I knew couldn't properly answer, but I still whished that he could.

_"Seems to be the only logical answer. It was at the mention of Murtagh that Oromis began to grow weary and called Eragon over. Now, continue, and we shall see for ourselves." _Almost as though Oromis knew what Nyte had said, he nodded at me to continue.

"Err, as I was saying, I had just stopped to take a break and play the flute that Dylan had given me for the first time when someone came out of nowhere. That someone, I later found out, was named Murtagh. He-"

Eragon, who had sat on the ground to listen to me suddenly jumped up when I mentioned the name. It was obvious that he knew Murtagh. "What? But he died over two months ago in Farthen Dûr! It can't be!" Eragon's hands bawled into fists, but behind the anger I could see a twinkle of hope.

"Calm yourself young dragon rider and let her continue with her explanation." Oromis tried to calm Eragon down with his words, and for the time being it seemed to work as Eragon lowered himself back down onto the ground.

"But! How can this be? What was he doing there? AGH! I need to know!" Eragon's stream of questions continued like this for a few minutes until Nyte, who got rather annoyed by it, stopped him with a low growl.

_"It would be wise of you to hold your tongue and listen to Kyra. The answers you seek will be among her words, if only you would be patient enough to listen." _Nyte's words seemed aggressive, sort of like how his words towards Jak, and sometimes Dylan were. Maybe Nyte dislikes Eragon?

"Eragon, who is Murtagh to you? Before I continue, I wish to know this, so that I can, to the best of my abilities, explain things to you, and answer your questions." I couldn't help but to grimace slightly to myself as I spoke these words aloud. It made me feel as though Murtagh was an actual person - and once a good one at that. I feared that if I learned more about him, I would no longer be able to blame him for Mia's death.

"He saved my life on multiple occasions, and became a traveling partner. From there he became one of my closest friends. I still value him as a friend, even after learning who his father was. When he disappeared in Farthen Dûr, I was devastated. Please, Kyra, tell me all that you know! If he truly is alive…."

My heart thudded as I listened to Eragon's explanation. By the sounds of things, Murtagh was actually a good person. Eragon said that he had even saved his life multiple times. Is this true? If so, I had to re-think everything I knew about him. The things that Dylan had explained to me the day I met Murtagh all made sense now.

"Eragon, you may not like what you are about to hear, but I will say it nonetheless. When I met Murtagh, I learned that he has been working for Galbatorix himself. Ah, please don't interrupt, so that I can explain things thoroughly." I noticed that Eragon had opened his mouth and was about to interrupt me yet again.

"Anyways, when he and I met, he said to me that he was simply a messenger for the king. His message was that the king wanted to meet me in person, because he saw that I could be a valuable ally, or, in other words, a worthy enemy. Mind you, neither the king or Murtagh know of Nytes existence yet, so it seems that they want me on their side either way, probably because of my heritage of being a half elf."

"Well, when I refused, Murtagh tried to bribe me with an offer to ride on Shruikan. It turns out the king had been having Murtagh do his dirty work, and was actually letting Murtagh ride Shruikan around for the more important jobs, like getting me. It was at that time that I realized that Murtagh, well, more like Shruikan, was the one that killed my best friend, Mia, just a month before hand. I was furious, and refused to go with Murtagh. That's when he grabbed me, and tried to force me to go with him. Though Dylan caught him by surprise, and was able to attack him. The simple fight ended quickly with Murtagh fleeing and saying that he did not come to fight, this time."

"Though, when that was all said and done, Dylan noticed that I had been bleeding profusely from where Murtagh grabbed me. This is the result, and it's been over a month." I held out my right arm and slowly removed the bandage to reveal the three deep gashes on my arm, which looked as though they were fresh.

"Murtagh did this to you?" Eragon jumped up and gently grabbed my arm, looking it over. "How could he do such a thing? What has become of him?"

"Eragon, there's something more." I sighed slightly, as I let myself finally believe the truth behind the words that were to come, "It wasn't Murtaghs fault. None of it is. He is being forced to do this by the king."

"But how can he be forced! He is strong, he could have escaped! How could he betray me like this?" Eragon's voice was full of agony as he let go of my arm and slumped onto the ground.

"Eragon," Oromis's voice was strong and full yet again, as he spoke to him and looked at the wound on my arm. "You obviously need a lot of training if you haven't yet seen that this wound is endued with a massive amount of magic. According to your tales, Murtagh could not use magic, so this must be the work of the king."

"Magic? How so? Either way, he still could have-" Nyte interrupted him yet again with another low growl.

_"Are you still so foolish as to not listen to the rest of the words to be spoken? It is surprising that you have lived this long, considering your great amount of stupid-"_

"Oh hush up, Nyte. I know that you're just trying to give me the chance to speak, but you don't have to be so rude." I looked over at him, and continued the small chat with him, just for him and myself, _"You know, at first I thought your behavior meant that you dislike him, but now I realize that it's almost exactly the same way you treat Dylan and Jak. Does this mean that you've taken a liking to Eragon?"_

_ "Who said that I even like the two idiot twins? Humph."_

I just laughed quietly to myself at Nytes reaction, which proved that I was _so_ right. "Anyways, Eragon, there's nothing that Murtagh could have done. Nyte is right, you need to stop jumping to conclusions and just listen to what I have to say. Because of certain events, I am led to greatly believe that Galbatorix is controlling Murtagh by an inescapable bond. Can you guess what that bond is?"

"Err, the fact that Murtaghs father was one of his most trusted men?"

"Do you really think that could possibly make Murtagh listen to Galbatorix and do his bidding? No! Galbatorix is controlling Murtagh using his True Name!" It almost hurt to speak such words, but I knew it had to be the truth. Ever so slowly I let my anger and hatred towards Murtagh slip away.

A shocked expression passed over Eragons face as he absorbed my words. "I completely forgot about that possibility. Ugh, I'm so stupid!"

"Eragon, you must open your mind to more possibilities in the future. What Kyra says is a great possibility, one that is not only the best possible situation, but also the worst possible."

"How can that be so, Master?" Eragons use of the word master made me realize that I should probably do the same when speaking to Oromis.

"Best possible because it means that Murtagh has not truly betrayed you. Worst possible because there is naught that we can do to help him. Freeing him from his current state will be nearly impossible. Also, it seems that Galbatorix has given Murtagh some sort of means to use magic and powerful magic at that. This wound on Kyra's arm can be just as bothersome as the wound that Durza left you with, Eragon."

I looked down at the gashes on my arm, and watched as Oromis slowly traced his smooth fingers across them. Surprisingly, the slight pressure of his touch did not hurt in the slightest. "Master, is there anything you can do to help? I only recently learned how to use magic, and when I did so, the wound bled profusely and I was left unconscious for over a week. But, this unconsciousness was like nothing I had ever experienced before. My thoughts were fully intact, but there was nothing else, nothing but a sea of darkness. I could not feel anything, not my own body, not the pain that I knew should have been pulsing through me, not my own breathing, or even a heartbeat. I couldn't even feel Nyte's presence; it was as though he didn't even exist, as though nothing existed."

I shook my head at the thought of experiencing something like that again, and looked up at Oromis with hopeful eyes. "It truly is a terrible curse. At the moment there is nothing that I can do. When I converse with the other spell weavers of Eragons calamity, I will inform them of yours as well. Hopefully we can get this worked out, and fast. For now, you can continue with your story."

I continued with my tale, letting Oromis interrupt as he pleased, recounting almost everything that happened within the last two months, everything aside from my dreams, and some rather seemingly irrelevant information. Eragon had decided to stay and listen to my story, and for some reason I didn't feel like sharing them with him just yet, so I decided I would inform Oromis of the dreams at a later time.

When I reached the end of my tale Oromis asked to see my palms. He said that one could learn many things from the palms of a person's hand, if they knew what to look for.

Tentatively I removed the black fingerless gloves from my hands for the third time since arriving in Du Weldenvarden. I held my hands, palm up, towards Oromis, who gently grabbed and examined them. "Hmm, rather interesting. You are left handed, no?" As he spoke his eyes detoured from my hands and briefly to the golden chain linked bracelet that was on my left wrist. It shined lightly in the light as he moved it with one of his fingers.

"Yes, more or less. I can still use my right hand just as easily as my left, with a bit of practice." As I answered he adverted his attention from the bracelet back to my hands.

"Your gedwëy ignasia is definitely interesting. It is rare for it to be in such a unique shape, and such a clear one at that. Well, I guess it only makes sense, considering the rarity of your dragon. It is extremely rare for a dragon's eye color to not match the color of his scales. This is my first time witnessing it myself."

_"As is mine, and I've seen many a dragon in my time." _Glaedr added in, as he moved his head to inspect Nyte more closely.

"It also seems as though you have done a great deal of sparing before and some of it recently. Though, you have never properly wielded a sword, have you?"

"No, I haven't ever had a real chance to. I held a sword for a few short minutes when I was in Dras-Leona. I'm sorry that I have such little experience in not only magic but swordsmanship as well. I am unworthy to receive your training." I hung my head in shame as I realized how true this was.

"There is no need for apologies, and the only thing unworthy is that sort of thinking. I can feel that you hold great promise, both you and your dragon." Oromis's eyes were kind and warm when he spoke to me, making me feel better about being here. "Now, I suggest that we truly start. Saphira, Nyte, you two will go with Glaedr today. Since I have not had a chance to asses Nytes capabilities, Glaedr will have to do so for me."

_"And do so I shall. Now come, young ones."_ Glaedrs voice echoed in our heads as he uncurled his wings and lifted himself into the air. Saphira was quick to follow, not wanting to waist any precious time with the old dragon. Nyte on the other hand seemed almost reluctant to follow.

_"Behave yourself Kyra. I hate it when I have to leave you like this, even if I can still keep in contact with you. I will be watching and listening to everything that happens, so if you need me I will be there in a flash." _Nytes voice was clam and quiet, but more serious then normal. He moved his head so that it was resting in my lap for a split second, then nudged the side of my head before backing up and lifting himself into the sky to follow Glaedr and Saphira.

_"I too will be listening, my friend." _I quietly said my short goodbye to Nyte before standing up to follow Oromis and Eragon, who had already started to walk away. I ended up following them to the far side of the clearing where there was a square of hard packed dirt waiting for us.

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End of Chapter 9! ((Up next:_ Chapter 10: The Values of Training._))

Any and all reviews are GREATLY appreciated. Thanks for reading. :)


	10. Chapter 10: The Values of Training

**A/N: **I'll keep this short and sweet - First, sorry for the long wait.  
Secondly, sorry for any bad grammar or spelling. It's been a while since I wrote, this, but I did re-edit, but still no guarantees.  
I feel really bad for not uploading this when it's been done for such a long time. I'm actually already on chapter 13. Sorry guys. :(  
Some of the small details throughout the story have changed, so I'm sorry if it gets confusing anywhere.

Also, in case you guys didn't know, **Book 4 - Titled Inheritance, is set to come out November 8th this year.  
**

After it comes out I will crank out a few more chapters for here, and then start putting up the rewrite. Any and all info in the new book will help me decide what to do from here.  
And I don't know about you, but I'm really excited to read it!  
Anyways, here's the new chapter:**  
**

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Story:

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Chapter 10: The Values of Training.

"What I am about to show you is called the Rimgar, or the Dance of Snake and Crane. It is a series of poses that we developed to prepare our warriors for combat, although all elves use it now to maintain their health and fitness. The Rimgar consists of four levels, each more difficult than the last. We will start with the first." Oromis's voice was strong and full as he spoke to us.

At the mention of the Rimgar, Eragon seemed to become rigid, and looked as though he was going to throw up. "Are you okay?" I couldn't help but to ask the question, and not just out of curiosity.

Before Eragon could answer Oromis told him to relax, but all he managed to do was unclench his fists. "I asked you to relax, Eragon. You can't do the Rimgar if you are as stiff as a piece of rawhide."

"Yes, Master." Eragon let his arms hang loosely by his sides as the rest of his muscles seemed to relax.

After that Eragon and I stood on the square of dirt next to each other as Oromis stood in front of us and directed us through many odd poses. Most of the poses tested our flexibility; they were gentle so that they didn't put too much strain on the body, but at the same time they were tough enough to work up a sweat. As we worked our way through the many poses I was glad that I had put my hair up before coming; I'd have to remember to put it up or bring a hair tie with me each day.

When we were finished with the Rimgar we went to the stream by the house to "wash the sweat from our limbs" as Oromis put it. I went farther upstream then Oromis and Eragon to get a bit of privacy whilst we washed. The water was cool but it was nice. My hair was soaked though, so I took it out of the ponytail to let it dry out.

Oromis then led us deep into the forest, until we reached a hollow where the trees leaned inward, obscuring the sky. In the middle of the hollow there was a white stump that Oromis instructed Eragon to sit on. While he went and instructed Eragon to do something I was left standing at the edge of the field. I used this time to pay more attention to what Nyte was doing; Glaedr had been testing him on certain aerial maneuvers and as well as his flexibility, by doing something that was oddly familiar to the Rimgar.

I was tempted to ask Nyte how he was liking his training so far but I figured it was best not to disturb him, so instead I just quietly listened while I waited for Oromis to return. Only moments later Oromis returned and had me follow him deeper into the forest, and farther away from where Eragon was left. Several minutes later we reached another sort of clearing, though this one was slightly smaller and instead of a stump in the middle there was a small patch of wild flowers.

Oromis instructed me to sit in the middle of the patch of wild flowers, cross my legs, and close my eyes. I did as I was told, and listened intently to hear what his next instructions would be. From my left I heard Oromis's voice, in a soft whisper, say, "I'm going to tell you exactly what I told Eragon, though my expectations are different yet the same; Eragon had a teacher before me, and has been a rider longer then you have. This is your first time formally training, although, you are an elf, mostly, so you should adapt to this quicker. I have faith in you."

There was a slight pause before he relayed his instructions, "Open your mind, Kyra. Open your mind and listen to the world around you, to the thoughts of every being in this clearing, from the ants in the trees to the worms in the ground. Listen until you can hear them all and you understand their purpose and nature. Listen, and when you hear no more, come tell me what you have learned."

Everything went silent after that. I waited a few moments and listened to my surroundings to see if Oromis was still there or not - I hadn't even heard his footsteps when he left. I sighed slightly and folded my hands in my lap before lowering the barrier around my mind. I let my consciousness flow out and clash with the consciousnesses of all the living beings in the clearing.

It was very similar to the feeling I got when I opened my mind up to more than one 'person' at a time. When I did this I could always feel a slight tinge of life from everyone else around me - it was almost like I could see their minds but couldn't enter them, like the walls around their minds became see-through.

As I started to lower the barrier around my mind and let it drift farther and farther into the clearing I was able to start seeing the minds, or conscious's, of all the living creatures around me. At first I could only see a few - there was a bumble bee on a flower to my right, a small cluster of ants by a flower to my left, and even the occasional spider here and there. As the minutes ticked by I was able to see more and more of the creatures around me.

There were, for the most part, only insects around me. Thousands of ants, beetles, spiders, grasshoppers, bees, wasps, caterpillars and various other insects swarmed the ground, bushes, flowers, rocks and trees that made up the small clearing. The insects moved in swarms, choreographed to the will of the leader, moving as one. There were stragglers here and there of course; ones that either got lost or separated, or ventured out on their own for another purpose. I couldn't detect a definite thought process from the insects, only instincts.

Half an hour rolled by before I let my mind open farther and reach the edges of the clearing. I started to sense more then just the insects now; there were birds high in the tree tops and soaring through the air, squirrels raced each other across the ground and up the trees, and occasionally I could feel a larger animal lurking at the edges of the clearing, near enough to sense but far enough to not know exactly what it was. The larger creatures lights were starting to drown out the insects making it hard to concentrate on both at one time.

I let go of my focus on the insects to concentrate on the other animals, to understand them. The first were the birds; they were odd, that's for sure. Some of them worked together in groups, catching prey and building nests. Others were alone, flying through the sky or perching on branches. Even though the birds didn't have actual thoughts they had more than just the basic primal instincts that the insects had. They had feelings, deep feelings that were their own and could be identified as such. The squirrels were the same. Their feelings were prominent as they raced and played with each other.

I could feel them, the feelings that flowed through the squirrels and birds. I could feel the excitement, the happiness, the hunger, the joy. I could feel the heart beat quicken as one squirrel closed in on the other, I could feel the rumbling of a birds stomach as it eyed an insect on the ground and closed in for the kill, and I could feel the strain on another birds wings as it soared higher and higher into the sky. I was even able to feel the weight and tension of the unborn babies that rested inside the female squirrel. The sights, the sounds, the feelings, they were all foreign to me, but the longer I paid attention the more familiar they became; my own senses were leaving, and it was like the animals feelings were becoming my own.

As the day grew on so did my concentration; I began expanding it again, paying attention to smaller details, and more animals at once, as well as concentrating on the insects again. It took a while, but I was eventually able to know exactly what the birds, squirrels, ants, bees and other insects were doing all around the same time. Some of the birds left, flying high into the sky and then soaring away, but others came to replace them. The squirrels on the other hand stayed the entire time; it seemed as though this clearing was their home.

I stayed like this for who knows how long, listening and paying attention to the life around me. It was peaceful; my mind was far away from all worry or pain, and for once I was completely relaxed and felt that I truly belonged. For a brief moment in time the world ceased to exist to me and all that was left was the small clearing and everything that it contained.

My small sense of security washed away with one sudden burst of light; the larger creature that had been lurking on the outer edges of the clearing had finally jumped in, blinding my senses momentarily. The creature was a feline of sorts, possibly a mountain lion. Its light outshined the light of all the other creatures, completely drowning out the insects, leaving only it and the squirrels, seeing as it managed to scare the birds away.

As I dove into the being of the feline I could feel its deep hunger and its overwhelming desire to kill. Before I could move my world came crashing down on me; the creature pounced, its claws slashing through the upper body of the nearest squirrel. Its small body writhed with pain, caught in the felines grasp; it could no longer escape and was going to die. The feline sunk its teeth in, delivering the final blow.

"NO!" My eyes flew open, my consciousness violently drawn back to the confines of my own mind, and all my muscles tightened. I leaned over, tears streaming down my face as I vomited from the pain.

_"Kyra? What happened? Are you okay?" _Nytes voice floated in my head causing me to snap the rest of the way back to reality. I had to wipe away the spit and vomit from my mouth before I could respond, still letting the tears flow.

_"Nyte…" _I paused to look up and across the clearing. The feline was eating the remains of the squirrel, not bothered at all by my presence. Sighing and wiping away my tears I resumed talking to Nyte, _"I was able to feel it; everything the squirrel felt I felt. I felt its skin being ripped from its body, I felt its bones being crushed and I felt its muscles being torn. But, more than that, I felt its terror, and I felt its last breath leave its body. It was horrible." _

_ "Pull yourself together Kyra," _Nyte's words made me realize that I was crying again, and that my body was shaking slightly. He gave me a few minutes to clam myself before continuing, _"I was able to feel a small amount of it through you, but it must have been terrible to experience it firsthand like you did. But feel better, okay? I guess we now know why elves don't eat meat, right?"_

Nyte started to laugh and I couldn't help but to join in, even though it really wasn't that funny. _"Thanks, Nyte. You're my hero."_ I laughed again, glad that Nyte decided to keep contact with me while we were training.

_"Well, you should probably head back to Oromis. You've been gone a considerable amount of time, and Eragon returned to him ages ago. You are falling behind!"_

_ "And what about you? You're just talking to me instead of training with Glaedr!" _I was able to tell that I had caused him to lose his focus while training. I'd have to remember to apologize to Glaedr for it sometime.

_"Hey, I am a good multi-tasker, unlike a certain little half elf I know" _There was a slight pause as he nearly crashed into a tree, _"Well, I'm still better then you. Though I should pay more attention to this lesson, and you need to get back to Oromis. I'll talk to you later." _

With that our connection faded, but was still there, and as I made my way through the forest I was able to concentrate on what Nyte was learning from Glaedr. He had him doing all sorts of aerial maneuvers that would help to avoid arrows and other air borne objects while in battle. Nyte would have to do some of the same ones over and over again to make sure that he got it right; one false movement and it could be fatal for the dragon, or his/her rider.

It was interesting, listing to Glaedrs lesson through Nyte. I smiled to myself as Oromis hut came into view, and I found Oromis and Eragon both inside. The smile quickly faded though; there was a foul aura in the air and Eragon especially seemed upset. They may have just finished talking about something upsetting, so I waited, just inside the door, until Oromis beckoned me farther in.

"And what did you hear and see, Kyra?" At first I was hesitant to share, with both Oromis's and Eragon's eyes on me, and the thought of the kill fresh in my head. That passed though, and after a deep breath to calm my nerves I began to recount all that I had heard and seen. As I spoke I closed my eyes, which helped me to recount everything clearly, and not a single detail escaped my explanation.

When I came to the final details I opened my eyes and watched as Eragon's face twisted in horror at the way I described my encounter with the feline and the squirrel. I let my words trail off at the end, not knowing what to say or how to wrap it all up.

There was a pause before Oromis spoke, "I can see that you are greatly affected by what happened. This is understandable, yes, but it is all a part of life. You needn't let it bother you so much. It's natural that it would, and thus is why we elves don't hunt for living creatures."

"Other than that, it seems as though you had a rather fulfilling day. It's still not good enough, but it was better then what I hoped for, for your first time. Like Eragon you will have to meditate in that clearing for one hour every day. Unlike Eragon, I think you will only need to do it a few more times before you grasp this part of your training well enough. Now, explain to me what you know of the ancient language so far. I don't expect you to know much of it, all things considered, but something is better then nothing. Also, do you know how to read and write, in this spoken language, and or in the ancient language?"

I explained to him all that I knew of the ancient language, making me realize that my knowledge of it was seriously lacking. "When it comes to reading and writing I'm fairly good in the human tongue. The family I grew up with taught me. Though, when it comes to the ancient language I've only read and wrote it once, and that was on my own. When I saw my mothers' grave for the first time there was writing on it in another language, at the time I didn't know that it was the ancient language though, and it took me forever to figure out what they meant."

I expected Oromis to be irritated, angry even, at my lack of knowledge and experience, but he was neither. He calmly took account of all I said and then gave me a quill and then sat me down next to Eragon. He quickly briefed me on what he had already taught Eragon and then continued the lesson as though I had been there the entire time. At first it was hard to keep up, but as we continued I was able to catch on and follow along well enough.

By the time we finished the lesson it was late evening. We moved outside the hut just in time to meet the dragons as they returned. The moment they landed I bounded up to Nyte and hugged his neck; he lowered his neck for me and nuzzled the side of my face. I hadn't realized how much I had missed him, and how amazing it was to be by his side again.

Our reunion was cut short when Glaedr invaded my mind to ask a question, _"For what reason must a dragon fold only one wing while executing aerial escape maneuver six?" _

The question caught me off guard; I hadn't expected to be asked what Nyte had been taught throughout the day. I was suddenly grateful that we kept our connection linked like we did. Even though it was an easy question, and one I knew the answer to, it took me a bit to form the words in my head. _"To throw off the balance of their body just enough to escape without causing damage to their or their riders bodies. If they were to fold both wings the balance shift would be too great and the possibility of escaping any and all oncoming air borne projectiles would be very small."_

Glaedr nodded, and padded away, seemingly pleased with my answer. He went to Eragon and asked him a question as well; one that was a good deal harder than the one he asked me. When Eragon couldn't answer it I could feel the anger rolling off of Glaedr. As Glaedr spoke with Eragon Oromis came up to Nyte and me and asked Nyte a question, "How many squirrels, and what genders, made their home in the small clearing a short distance from here, what is their favorite past time, and why were their numbers depleted by the end of the day?"

Nyte moved his head, and I released my grip, so that he could stare Oromis in the eye as he answered the questions seriously. _"There were two squirrels, one male and one female. They liked to chase each other around, like they were playing tag, to pass the time away. One of them died, the female, by the end of the day because she was caught and killed by a feline of sorts. Though, in all reality more than one died, considering the two squirrels had been mates and the female was baring unborn children."_

Oromis nodded and smiled faintly, also seemingly pleased with Nytes' answer, and then turned to ask Saphira a question. She too couldn't answer the question, just like Eragon. I was able to see the anger in Oromis's eyes as he spoke to the lot of us. "Eragon, Saphira, I am disappointed. After everything you two have been through together I would have thought you'd have learned the most basic rule of being Shur'tugal; Share everything with your partner. You need to mingle your consciousnesses until you think and act as one. I expect the both of you to know what each other is taught. As it is Kyra and Nyte, a younger dragon and rider then the both of you by a good few months, who didn't even have a mentor, know this better than you. You should both be ashamed."

"What about our privacy?" Eragon's words reminded me of the discussion that Nyte and I had the night before.

"It isn't about privacy, Eragon." I threw my thoughts in, before anyone else could speak. "You and Saphira might have two separate bodies but you share the same soul. There should be no secrets between a rider and a dragon; you should always share your thoughts, feelings and experiences with each other, especially while training or learning new things. To be a true dragon and rider privacy is not something that should even be thought of. It may seem unfair, but it is the truth."

I added, to Nyte alone, _"Thank you for that lecture last night, and thanks for letting me steal your words. I think I'm starting to see the real importance to our connection."_

I paused and looked at Eragon, who at first was speechless, and then looked a bit ashamed. It was easy to guess that he had fully processed not only my, but Oromis's earlier words as well. Saphira didn't look all too happy either. At one point she even stomped one of her feet and glowered at Eragon.

_"You are wise, little flower. You don't need to thank me though. Last night I was just speaking my mind, as you just did. We have a strong connection, yes, but we still have a lot to learn, about each other and the world around us."_ Nyte cooed slightly as he spoke to me and nuzzled my shoulder.

After a few minutes Eragon spoke aloud, "We're sorry, master. We won't disappoint you again."

"See that you don't. You will be tested tomorrow on what the other learned." Oromis paused, before revealing two small wood baubles nestled in the middle of his palm. He handed one to Eragon, and then one to me. "As long as you wind it properly, this device will wake you at the right time each morning. Return here after you have bathed and eaten."

I held the bauble in my hand for a moment before pocketing in and giving my thanks to Oromis, as did Eragon. Both Saphira and Eragon were quick to leave, tension still running high between the two of them. It saddened me to see another dragon and rider with such ill will between them.

As soon as they were out of sight I turned to Oromis, who was eyeing me questioningly. "…Ebrithil, may I ask you a question?" My voice was unsteady, but it was something that I was dying to know from the moment we met.

"Did you not just ask a question, young one?" There was a pause, and a slight laugh from Oromis, before he continued, "Yes, you may ask whatever you want Kyra."

Taking in a deep breath I steadied myself before asking, "Master, you knew my father, didn't you?"

The moment the words left my lips I knew that the question was a taboo and shouldn't have been asked. There was an immediate change to Oromis's demeanor; his eyes swirled with a mix of emotions, his body stiffened, and even his face seemed to contort into what looked like pain. "….Yes, I knew your father."

I bit my tongue, holding back my next question. I didn't want to hurt Oromis, or dig into forbidden territory, but eventually my curiosity proved to get the better of me. "How did you know him, Master?"

A sigh escaped Oromis's lips and he placed a hand gently on my shoulder and looked me in the eye, "That is a story for another time Kyra. I promise that I will tell you, and soon too, but not yet."

His hand slowly slipped from my shoulder and his eyes dropped. It was easy to tell that this was going to be a touchy subject. "I understand. Thank you Master. I'll take my leave now. I look forward to training with you tomorrow." I bowed slightly before mounting Nyte.

As we flew away I let my thoughts race and roam, and mingle with Nytes'. Our feelings mixed together, and no words were needed to know exactly what the other was thinking or feeling. By the time we got back to our little abode the light was starting to fade from the sky. We ate our food in silence, and then crawled into Nyte's bed together, and drifted off to sleep, side by side, with not a word spoken.

That night a terrible storm raged through Ellesméra, waking Nyte and I in the dead of the night. After pulling back the huge current to close off the room, we were able to drift back to sleep with the noise of the storm as our lullaby.

In the early morning the bauble woke me up, and I quickly bathed and ate, excited for the day of training with Oromis. Nyte was also excited for the day of training, so we were both quick to make our way there. We arrived at Oromis's home at the same time as Eragon and Saphira, and before landing Saphira and Nyte looped around each other, nearly touching.

After dismounting our dragons Oromis greeted us and Glaedr moved to take off with Saphira and Nyte like the day before, stopping only to quiz Eragon on yesterdays lesson. Also like the day before I gave Nyte a quick hug before he left, and reassured him that I would keep in contact with him during the days' lesson. He still seemed reluctant to go, unlike Saphira who easily left while full of excitement.

Oromis motioned with one finger, "Wait here." We watched as he strode into his hut to get something. When he returned, sword in hand, I realized that Eragon too had his sword with him today. "Today we will skip the Rimgar, and instead cross our two blades, Naegling and Zar'roc. Kyra, not only do you not have a Riders Sword, but you have no sword at all. I will have a sword made for you soon, but it will not be a Riders Sword. For today, after Eragon and I spar, if Eragon is willing enough, you may use Zar'roc to spar with me. Is this fine with you, Eragon?"

Eragon paused to look me over, probably worried about me being able to properly wield a sword. "Yes Master, that is fine with me."

"Good, now draw thy sword and guard its edge as your first master taught you." Oromis held his sword in hand, his stance in a ready position, as he waited for Eragon to do as he was told. Eragon, slowly and reluctantly, drew his blood red sword and whispered a few words in the ancient language. A blue glow appeared between his fingers and followed the blade of his sword as he moved his hand up and down it.

This was my first time seeing Eragon use magic. It was a small amount of magic, but I could feel his energy, feel his aura, and it seemed oddly familiar in a way. I pushed these thoughts out of my head as I watched Eragon and Oromis's swords clashed. Moving a few feet back I planted myself on the ground and studied intently as they sparred with each other.

I would have thought, with Oromis being as old as he is, and Eragon looking like an experienced fighter, that Eragon would have had the upper hand. I couldn't have been more wrong. The young dragon rider was a poor match for the old elf. Oromis, being of elvin blood, was much stronger than any human, even being as old as he was. It was also apparent that he had many years worth of battles beneath his belt.

It was so enticing, sitting and watching as they battled each other. Watching as Eragon struggled to hold his own against his opponent, and watching as Oromis shot out tips to help Eragon while easily holding his own against him. Each time the swords clashed together I could feel my heart beat quicken, and my veins pulse. I could feel the excitement welling up in me, and could easily recount every time I had sparred with someone, be it the recent sparring with Jak, the old neighborhood boys, or even Jason.

On one hand the thought of battle intrigued and excited me. The thought of crossing blades with another person, and giving it your all to be the last one standing, or just giving it your best to prove your worth, brought about amazing feelings. On the other hand though, battle meant death and destruction. A lot of ill will and feelings come from battle, and many times death, which was not a pleasing thought at all. I was eager to spar, but not to fight for real. As similar as the two things are, they are still two completely different concepts.

I brought my full attention back to the fight just in time to see Oromis's features twist in pain, and Eragon leap at the opening. As he leapt at his chance to get the upper hand on Oromis, Eragon experienced his own dilemma and toppled to the ground in pain.

"Are you okay, Master?" I was quick to my feet, and even quicker to leap to Oromis's aid. He dropped his sword on the ground and kneeled over, the pain obviously hard to bare. I moved to help him, and at first he resisted, but eventually he let me wrap my arm around him and help him to a nearby stool.

"Thank you child, but I will be alright." Oromis's voice was heavy, but barely so. Nodding I moved to help Eragon, who was now curled in a ball on the ground, eyes closed shut, with vomit spewing from his mouth. "Leave him be. He will be fine in due time. There isn't much that we can do for him at this point."

"Yes Master." It was hard to just stand there and watch Eragon writhe with pain, so I turned back to Oromis, who seemed to be doing much better. I rattled my brain, trying to pick out an appropriate question to ask, feeling that I should get at least one or two of them out of the way. I decided on the simplest one for now, "Master…You said that you would have a sword made for me, but it wouldn't be a rider's sword. Why is that?"

"All the Dragon Rider Swords ever to have been made were all made by one elf; Rhunön. After the last war she vowed to never again make weapons, and thus the production of riders' swords was halted. It may be sad, but it is the truth. So, we will have to make you a good sword, but it will never be even close to the power or durability of a rider's sword. Now," He paused to stand up and grab his sword, "Take up Zar'roc, and we shall see what you can do."

I raised an eyebrow for concern, but followed Oromis's instructions nonetheless. When Eragon had dropped to the ground he had lost his grip on his sword and it had tumbled a few feet away. As I navigated around Eragon and the mess that he made, my stomach twisted in knots; I couldn't bear to see him in so much pain, and I felt bad about just leaving him there.

I turned my gaze from Eragon to his sword, Zar'roc, and reached out to grab it. The moment my hand grasped its handle I let go, and jumped back. It felt like I had just been struck by lightning. "Is something wrong?" I could hear the faint sound of concern hidden in Oromis's voice.

"No Master, everything is alright." It was a complete lie, but I didn't know how to explain it, so I felt it was better to leave it be. I bent down and picked up Zar'roc, and this time the feelings that flowed into from the sword were a lot smaller, and more bearable. The first time I touched the sword I could feel an immense amount of malice coming from it. Zar'roc, misery, truly lived up to its' name.

The sword felt heavy and awkward in my hand, completely out of place. There was a slight frown upon my face as I returned to Oromis and waited for further instructions. "You will protect Zar'rocs' blade as Eragon did. The phrase to use is Gëuloth du knífr. You'll run your thumb and forefinger the length of the blade and it shall be protected." As he explained he also showed me by following his own instructions with his blade.

_"Magic. Right. I thought I wasn't supposed to use any until my arm is fixed. What should I do?"_ I let my thoughts drift, knowing that Nyte would be the only one to hear them, and even then I didn't expect him to answer. Oromis knew of my dilemma, so of course he wouldn't ask me to do anything too absurd. "Gëuloth du knífr." I let my energy flow, and let the magic come. A purple star appeared between my thumb and index finger, and bounced back and forth between them as I ran my fingers along Zar'rocs' blade.

Once the blade was protected the purple star faded out of existence and a small throbbing leapt into my right arm. I could feel the blood pulsing out of it, but it wasn't all that bad. Nowhere near as bad as it had been in the past.

"Ready?" Oromis was standing at the ready, waiting for me. I nodded, and our fight began. Our swords clashed quickly, and I could feel the strength that Oromis had put into his blow. It was obvious that he was going easier on me then Eragon, either because of his own earlier fit of pain, or because he thought less of me. Either way, it bugged me.

I put a lot of force into my blows, and sped up my movements, but still Oromis held back. "Come now, Master. You do not need to pull your blows. I know that you are much stronger than me, but please don't think so little of me." I grinned as I spoke, spinning around Oromis and his oncoming blows, almost dancing while I moved.

"I see, you want me to treat you as an equal, to Eragon, at least? I give you points for being able to concentrate on speaking and battling so well at the same time. But do you really think you are ready for stronger blows and quicker movements?"

Our swords met again, and I could feel that Oromis had put more force into it, but I didn't back down. "Even if I'm not ready, I will still take them." The earlier excitement I felt from watching Eragon and Oromis's battle was coming back to me. My blood was starting to dance inside my veins and my mind was starting to lose control.

My emotions started to wash away, and my concentration on the battle was absolute. My blows began to carry more power and gain speed, as did Oromis's. Slowly but surely our battle became fiercer, and our moves more strategically placed. Never once did I lay a single blow to Oromis's body, but neither did he lay a blow to mine. It was like we were evenly matched, which I knew couldn't be possible.

We continued like thus for a good half hour, our movements as fluid as dance moves, and each move was perfectly placed, like it was all choreographed from the beginning. Our battle came to an end though when Oromis had another fit of pain. Seeing all his features tense up, his face scowl in pain, stopped me in my tracks.

I couldn't bare to attack him when he was disadvantaged as such so I dropped Zar'roc on the ground and stood there, staring, waiting for his features to relax. "You should have attacked while you had the chance. While in real battles you can never show your opponent such sympathy, you need to be ruthless while attacking."

His words surprised me, but I stood my ground and defended what I had done, "Master, there is a difference between sparing and all out battling. When sparring the only things that should be at stake are ones' dignity and a few bruises and broken bones. But when in real battle there is so much more at stake; your life, your opponents' life, and the lives of those around you, or those that you are protecting. While sparring I will not take advantage of my Master while he is in pain from something other then our sparring. It is wrong, I won't do it."

Oromis sat himself down on the stool as he listened to me speak. When I was done there was a look of happiness, or maybe pride, in his eyes. "You speak well Kyra. You have a kind and strong heart, and a very sturdy mind. Your abilities with a sword aren't bad either, and what is more impressive is your ability to adapt and change. You have great potential as a rider."

Words of praise from Oromis, they just somehow didn't feel right. Thankfully I didn't have a chance to speak on this matter again for Eragon started to moan himself back to life. He sat up, with a horribly disgusted look on his face as he looked over the contents of his now ruined clothes, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Are you alright?" It was kind of a stupid question, but I asked it anyways, while picking up Zar'roc and moving closer to him.

"Bit my tongue." He spat out another mouthful of blood as he spoke, and tried to wipe away some of the dirt, muck, and vile from his clothes.

I knelt next to him and placed Zar'roc in a clean patch of dirt beside him. "Ah. Thank you for letting me barrow your sword. Though I can't fathom how you can stand to wield such a sword all the time."

It took him a second to register what I had said. "…Wait, does that mean that I missed you and Oromis sparring? Damn." His face scrunched up a bit as he spoke. "What, was Zar'roc too heavy for you?"

"It's not the weight of the sword, Eragon. It's the feelings, _the energy_, which the sword carries. It has such a malicious aura emitting from it. Makes make stomach twist in knots. How can you stand that?"

"What are you talking about? Zar'roc is a fine sword. I don't feel anything bad about it." To prove his point he picked up the sword and waved it around a bit. "Feels just like a sword to me."

This puzzled me. Was I crazy? I was starting to think so until Oromis spoke. "Eragon can't feel what you can, Kyra. It surprises me that you can feel that from Zar'roc though. Not many can actually feel the energy or aura of things and people like you can. You are indeed unique. I'm sure that the more you tap into your magic the more you will be able to feel and sense these sorts of things."

"Now, the both of you should get washed up. Eragon will go to the clearing, and Kyra to the flower patch, and you will both meditate there for an hour. Once you hear no more you will return." At that Oromis turned and left to enter into his hut.

Most of the rest of the day went smoothly and quickly after that. Eragon and I bathed in the river and then meditated in our respective areas for an hour or so. When we returned to Oromis we learned that the main point of the meditating was to strengthen our minds. After that we ate, talked a bit, and learned more of how to read and write in the ancient language.

Oromis gave each of us some scrolls to take back and study in our free time. Just as we were leaving his hut Eragon asked about working with magic. Oromis agreed and led us outside to the greensward by the Crags of Tel'Naeír. Oromis had me stand back and watch as he and Eragon tossed a ball of water back and forth using magic. At first I could only feel the energy flow from Oromis, since it was so overpowering, and Eragon was hardly trying.

Eragon was obviously overly cocky; he thought that he'd be able to handle a 'simple ball of water' so he let his guard down, and was smashed into the ground and then soaked by the ball of water. After a few times of getting knocked down he became infuriated, and summoned up a lot of energy and carefully thought over the words he would use in his spell. As his energy built up I was able to feel it over Oromis's. I could feel the differences in their aura's, in their beings; feel how they were so unique, they were two completely separate people so their energy's were also completely separate and unique.

Though, there was an odd sense of familiarity to Eragon's energy, like I've felt something eerily similar to it before this. As Eragon released the energy and flung the ball of water back at Oromis, and closer to myself, it clicked in my head as to what was so familiar about Eragon's aura. My right arm started to burn slightly as Eragon's magical energy passed by. It was similar, not the same, but very similar to Murtagh's aura, and the aura the lingered in my wound.

Did this mean that Eragon had some malice in him? Or was there some sort of kinship between them? I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Eragon had said they met on their travels and became friends, how could they be related? Maybe I was wrong about it. Maybe I could talk to Oromis…Or better yet, survey Dylan and Jak and see how their auras were.

My thoughts were knocked back on track as Eragon entered into another fit and Oromis seized up. Eragon's fit was small, but Oromis seemed to be doing much worse. I moved to his side and waited for him to respond. After Eragon was better he knelt before us and hanged his head low, "I am sorry, Master. I have pushed beyond my rights today. Please forgive me."

It took a few minutes for Oromis to respond, "That is alright, Eragon. This is the end of our lesson for the day." Almost like they were cued to, Glaedr, Saphira and Nyte flew over the tree tops and landed around us. Once again Glaedr asked Eragon and me about the lessons he taught Saphira and Nyte, and Oromis in turn asked them questions. This time we were all able to answer the questions, not just Nyte and me.

"Tomorrow," Oromis sounded tired, "When you wake there will be elves outside of your homes to take you to the training grounds where you will each be taught proper swordsmanship. Afterwards you will come back here for the rest of your daily training."

"But master, can't we train with you, as normal?" Eragon was obviously saddened by the thought of training with someone else.

"No buts, Eragon. I have nothing left to teach you in that matter. I am old, and crippled, I cannot spar against you young ones as often as you shall need. No go, and enjoy the rest of your day."

There were still a few hours left in the day, as I noticed. I nodded to Oromis and bid farewell to everyone as I mounted Nyte. I didn't have any plans for the day, but a little rest and time to ourselves couldn't hurt, as well as some studying. Just then Eragon seemed to remember something important, or happy, as he quickly said his goodbyes and was on his way.

As Nyte and I flew back to our new house we discussed the day's events. Nyte was happy with our progress, but sad that we had to train separately and see each other so little. "They are training me as a dragon and you as a rider… But, when will they train us as one?" I wondered the same thing, and hoped it would be soon.

Nyte dropped me off at the base of the tree when we arrived, instead of taking me with him through his opening like the night before. Instead there was a pleasant surprise waiting for me at the trees base, and Nyte must have known. "We heard that you were getting off early today so we figured we'd stop by."

"Dylan!" I quickly hugged the boy that had spoken, and then turned to the one who had remained quiet, almost looking as though he was embarrassed. "Jak," I embraced him next, "It's so good to see you two." I smiled for a moment, and then backed off a bit and scowled. "You two have a lot of explaining to do."

"We're sorry, Kyra. We should have told you everything before we came here. Please forgive us." Jak spoke quietly and bowed his head as he did so. Dylan copied his brother and bowed his head as well.

"It's…Alright. I understand that you guys are secretive and untrusting. But please, I want to know everything. Please trust me." I could feel my features lighten as I spoke to them. How could I stay angry at them? It just didn't feel right. The mistrust hurt, but I couldn't hold the anger.

Jak tenderly placed a hand on my shoulder, "We came today with the intentions of explaining everything, and answering any questions you may have. There is a private garden not far from here that we can go to so we can talk. I think it's a place you will like. Nyte can't come but will you come with us?"

I sighed a little and contacted Nyte before answering Jak, _"Nyte? Would you be alright with me going along with them? I don't want to leave you here alone though."_

_"It is alright, little flower. I knew that they wanted to take you away for a little while. I need to get out for a little while anyways so that I can go hunting. All these berries are giving me a stomach ache. Go have fun little flower."_

_"Thank you Nyte. Good luck hunting." _I turned back to Jak and Dylan and nodded. "I will go with you. Lead the way my friends." A faint smile touched Jak's face, which in turn made me smile.

The two boys led me far deeper into the woods – away from the path that lead to The Crags of Tel'Naeír, as well as away from Ellesméra.

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End of Chapter 10! ((Up next: _Chapter 11: Talk amongst Friends._))

Like always, and reviews, questions, comments or concerns are greatly welcomed!  
Helpful critisim is also welcomed. Please and Thank you.


	11. Chapter 11: Talk Among Friends

**A/N:** Hey everyone.  
This chapter is a bit shorter than previous ones.  
It's also more informative than anything, with little to no 'action'.  
I hope you will enjoy it all the same though. :) Some previous questions may even be answered.  
Anyways, here's the story:

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Story:

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Chapter 11: Talk among Friends

Almost half an hour after departing from Nyte at the base of our tree house and following Dylan and Jak into the depths of Du Weldenvarden, we stopped at the edge of a garden. The garden was the size of a few houses put together, and was fenced off with long bars of wood grown from four tall trees that sat at its corners, their branches all interlocked with one another. A gate also made of wood stood at the entrance with but a single lock on it.

Jak strode up to the gate and touched the lock with his two forefingers while whispering something in the ancient language. With a small clink the lock was undone and Jak swung open the gate, and while ushering me in he and Dylan said in unison, "Welcome to our very own Secret Garden."

Even though there was no roof to the garden, and there were gaps in the fence, there was immediately a difference in the air on the inside compared to the outside. It was thicker, heavier, and smelled greatly of flowers. Looking around I was awe-struck by all the different flowers that grew throughout the garden. There were different patches for each kind, from Lilies, Daisies and Marigolds, to Poppies, Zinnias and Roses, to all different types of tropical, water, land, hanging, and other various climate types of flowers. Every single one was healthy and full of an abundance of life. I could almost feel the energy from the flowers hanging in the air.

"The flowers have done really well, even though we were gone for so long. I'm surprised, and happy. Aren't you as well, Jak?" Dylan smiled as he roamed among the flowers and leaned down to sniff a few. Jak nodded, and Dylan continued talking, "No one other than Jak and myself – and now you, know about this place. We made it a long time ago, all by ourselves, as a little escape. A place just for us. We figured that you'd like it, so we thought we'd share it with you."

"Kyra…" Jak's voice was soft and quite as he stared at me. For a moment I thought that he wouldn't continue speaking, and that maybe I was the one who should say something. Just when I started to reply he spoke again, "What is your favorite flower? I'm sure we have it somewhere in here – and if not we can add it."

"The lotus flower." I blushed slightly at how fast I replied, and then added, "It has always been my favorite flower. Such a delicate and beautiful flower, grown from the depths of the mud yet still shedding light upon the world."

Dylan bounded up to me with a smile on his face and grabbed my hand before Jak could say anything, "The lotus flower? Somehow that really suits you. They are rather pretty. We have some this way." He pulled me farther along into the garden, where a little, shallow pond resided. Around the pond were large polished stones that one could sit on and all around and in the pond were dozens of lotus flowers of all colors and sizes.

"Wow…" I muttered, while taking a seat on one of the stones and fingering the petals of a light blue lotus. Jak quietly sat on a stone to my left and Dylan on the one to my right. We all sat quietly then, staring at the pretty flowers, with many emotions and no words in the air.

A dark violet lotus, almost the same shade as Nyte, floated towards Jak and he carefully cupped his hands around it, lifting it partially out of the muddy water. He then began to sing softly, in the ancient language. I couldn't quite make out what he was singing, but the sound still entranced me. While Jak sang, the flower grew darker and darker until it was the exact shade of Nyte's scales.

When he was done, Jak released the flower back into the water and blew it towards me, and then onto Dylan, who slowly caressed it as he began to speak. "We are sorry for not telling you of our blood relation. Jak and I are indeed brothers – twin brothers. We are but 19 years old – which is more than the age of manhood for humans, but is still considered children for the elves, and we look to be only 16 or 17 amongst humans. We would have told you earlier, but we were not allowed – both bound by unbreakable oaths in the ancient language."

"But now…Now is the time to tell you everything. I'll start at the beginning, so that you shall understand. When we were 3 years old both of our parents died. At the time we didn't understand as to how or why, but it was because they wanted to assist the Varden, but they were killed by Morzan. It was around that time that you're father also died – he was close friends to our parents, so we both met him, but we were still quite young."

"Anyways, we didn't want to be waited on hand and foot by the other elves, for that's exactly what they were doing. Elf children are special, and twins are even more so. And the loss of our parents, and yours as well, sent the elves into grief, and they wanted to protect us at any cost. We both got fed up with it and ran away from Ellesméra. That is when we first met Oromis and Glaedr. We spent a few days with them before they took us back. But on doing so Oromis promised that we could come and visit whenever we wanted, for however long we wanted."

"Of course, we had already known of their existence long before this point, we just had never gotten to meet with them. From that day forward we spent almost every day with Oromis and Glaedr. The older we got and the more time we spent with them the more we wanted to bring down The Empire and Galbatorix any way that we could. We wanted to assist the Varden, and we were willing to do whatever it takes."

"Three years ago, when princess Arya had spent her year in Du Weldenvarden, and was going to return back to the Varden, we decided to make our move. I assume you heard the details on her ferrying Saphira's egg to and fro the Varden?" He paused long enough to look at me and wait for me to nod before he continued, "We went to the Queen and argued with her for days before she let us go. No one wanted us to go. It was bad enough that princess Arya was so often gone and working with the Varden, but to let two children go? You have no idea how hard it was for us to convince her… But we eventually did."

"Thus we traveled with Arya to the Varden where we became ample and loyal members. We worked hard to help in any way we could, going on several missions, from spying to assassinations. Arya was an important member of the Varden, but because she was only there a year at a time, Jak and I became a little more valuable. Our superior strength and speed, and our use of magic came in handy often. Needless to say we were often sent on rather dangerous missions."

"A few months back we got sent on a mission to the isle of Nía. The exact details of the mission are irrelevant now, but basically it was a multitude of missions put together – from information gathering, to helping members of the Varden escape from The Empire. Accompanying Jak and I was a member of Du Vrangr Gata, the group of magicians within the Varden, Sam. Over the years we had spent with the Varden, Sam was the first person to warm up to us, and became our first and closest friend there. But while on this mission, he betrayed us."

"Now, Nía is the smallest of the trio of islands, but it isn't too small. There is still a lot of land on it. We met up with the Varden members there, but somehow a lot of Galbatorix's men showed up. We all got separated, and while we were at it Jak and I made sure to hide our identities as elves. While trying to find our way back to everyone else I sort of lost my footing along the edge of a small cliff and tumbled into the water." Dylan's face slightly reddened, as though he was embarrassed.

"Though it was just our luck that I did, for I stumbled upon a small alcove. The alcove was hidden from view while on land, and while on sea the waves of the water hid it from view, making it seem as though it was just the wall of the island, no matter low or high tide. It was perfectly hidden from view from all angles – unless you were to happen to fall off the edge of the cliff there, and survive, you would never know it existed."

"Jak joined me to help me get back up, but before doing so we had the sudden urge to look inside the alcove. I know, I know, we were being pressed for time and had to get back to our comrades as soon as possible, so it was irresponsible to spend our time sating our curiosity. But we had to…something was compelling us to move forward."

"It was inside that alcove that we chanced upon Nyte's egg."

There was a pause as he took a deep breath and traced the delicate petals of the dark lotus. He sighed before continuing, "It was in a dark package buried half buried and covered in rocks, with but a small streak of its color showing. There were magical wards placed about it so that no one could find it by magical means. Meaning that one would have to physically go into the alcove and see it for them to know it was there. Very cleverly hidden, if I do say so."

"Anyways, after discovering the existence of Nyte's egg we were more determined than ever to get off that cursed island and back to the Varden. We made our way back up onto the island and carefully around to the rest of our small group."

"But…by the time we got there… everyone was dead. They were all slaughtered, every last member of the Varden, except for Sam. He was happily cooperating with Galbatorix's soldiers…He even stomped in the face of one of our fallen comrades. It was then that we realized that he had betrayed us, and that we were in great danger if he told the soldiers all that he knew about us."

"Without even hesitating…Jak…" Dylan's voice trailed off, and Jak spoke for the first time since Dylan had started explaining their long story.

"Without hesitating I killed Sam where he stood." Jak's voice was full of pain and sorrow, and each word was strained, "He betrayed us, and knew secrets that could be devastating to us, the elves, and the Varden. Even if he was our friend…it had to be done."

Jak fell silent then and refused to speak again, so Dylan had to pick up from there. "Jak had me stay hidden since I had Nyte's egg in my possession. He mercilessly killed as many of the Soldiers as he could, and I helped with my magic from afar. There were too many though, and Jak got captured. With what energy I had left I scoured their brains to find out where they were taking him. It turned out to be Dras Leona."

"I couldn't follow them for risk of being captured and the egg being taken away. I couldn't go back to the Varden for Jak had made an agreement with them that if he were ever caught they wouldn't allow me, or anyone else, to try to rescue him. I couldn't even risk sending a message back to them about Nyte's egg, for they would then want me to return immediately and would be suspicious when I didn't. So, they don't know of Nyte's existence yet, or the fact that we are safe, or anything else that happened. I couldn't turn to the elves for help, for they were too far away, and they had already cut off all contact with the outside world some time before when Princess Arya was captured. My only choice was to try to rescue Jak myself."

"First though, I needed to find a good place to hide Nyte's egg, and gather up some of my lost energy in the process. It didn't take me long to decide where would be best. Aiedail's, your mother's grave, was the best place I could think of. Not only did I know it's exact whereabouts, for I had seen its' location and how to get there through another elves memories, but it wasn't too far off from Dras Leona, and the area it was in had special wards placed around it. Not to mention it was in the spine, where I as an elf could easily travel, yet Galbatorix's soldiers dared not go."

"So, after my mind was made up I set out for Aiedail's grave, and placed Nyte's egg deep within the deep pond near it. I had placed wards around it that would notify me if someone had chanced upon it and taken it out of the water. I had never expected it to be found, especially so quickly. You may have dreamed about it the day before you found it, but I had dropped it off a week earlier and had made it a long ways away by then."

"Coming back and finding that you were the one who found the egg surprised me greatly, but more than anything I was surprised by the fact that you wanted to come with me. It was forbidden for me to say yes…But there was no way that I could say no, knowing that you were being hunted by the Empire. I also couldn't bear to use force to retrieve the egg, either. And you know the story from there."

Silence enveloped us as we all stared at the dark lotus between Dylan's hands. It felt nice to know the truth and what had happened up until now with Dylan and Jak, but at the same time it felt as though I didn't have the right to this knowledge. It also felt nice to know the reasoning for Jak's initial cold behavior towards me, even though it hurt to know how deep the wounds in his heart ran.

"Thank you for telling me all of this…and trusting me with this information. Things make a little more sense, at the very least." I looked at Dylan, then to Jak, and then let my gaze settle on the lotus flowers before me. "…What now?"

"Now," Dylan stood up and stretched, "It is late and you should be getting rest for tomorrows training."

"That's not what I meant," A small unsteady breath escaped my lips, "I left my home with you, Dylan, in order to escape capture by the empire. Nytes egg hatched for me, which I never expected, and you helped me to raise him. I helped to save you, Jak, from Dras Leona because I was compelled to help Dylan, whom had become my friend. And I fled here to Ellesméra with you two in order to, once again, escape capture by the empire. What will happen from here on out?"

"We know that you didn't expect to come here to Ellesméra and train to be a Rider…But from now on you need to continue with your training. In this war against the Empire, against Galbatorix, you and Nyte will be needed. We ask that you train here with Oromis as long as you can in able to help us the elves, the Varden, and all the people of Alagaësia." Dylan promptly bowed his head to me, and Jak stood up and moved beside him to do the same. "Please, Kyra."

"Yes…Of course. I will help in any way I can." When they raised their heads I quietly asked, "What will you two do from here?"

Jak spoke again, and this time his voice was much stronger, "We plan to stay here in Ellesméra for a while, but ultimately we are members of the Varden, and must return to them eventually, especially when they have yet to learn of what befell us. There will still be plenty of time before we leave, and although you are not a part of the Varden and do not have to, we wish that someday you will join us with the Varden. Don't decide now, for it is something you should think about, and you will have plenty of time to think about it."

I nodded solemnly. The idea of them going far away and not being able to see or contact them anymore saddened me. They were the only friends I had here, and I didn't think I'd have a chance to make more, save for possibly Eragon and Saphira. Though going all across Alagaësia and fighting all the time didn't seem like a pretty concept either. Though if I did, there was a chance I could find out what was going on with Jason, and possibly help him. This was definitely something to consider.

"Let us head back then. We'll guide you back to your tree." At that we left the quiet, beautiful garden. As Jak closed and relocked the gate he turned to me and smiled, "If you ever get some free time, or wish for a quiet place to study, you are more than welcome to come here. Dylan and I will be here from time to time, so we may just cross paths if you do. We'll add you to the lock's mechanism as one of the people allowed to unlock it. Just make sure to say 'Please Open' in the ancient language when you come."

My face flushed slightly as I thanked him, "That it is very kind of you." At that we trod back through the forest and into Ellesméra, and then to the base of my tree. Nyte had already long since returned from his hunting trip and was resting high up in the tree, waiting to hear all that had transpired.

"May the stars watch over you, Kyra." Jak and Dylan both said before flitting with the grace of the elves they were back into the trees. I quickly ascended the stairs and went to Nyte, eager to share all that had happened, and spend the night curled up next to his warm side.

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End of Chapter 11! ((Up next: _Chapter 12: Day by Day._))

I hope you enjoyed it. :)


	12. Chapter 12: Day after Day

**A/N:** Here's another chapter.  
Enjoy it.  
Also, sorry for any and all spelling/grammar mistakes.

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Story:

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Chapter 12: Day after Day

Morning came with a splash of colors as light filtered into our room and the bauble Oromis gave me chimed. After bathing and eating, seeing that I still had a little time, I decided to unpack the stuff from my bag, since it seemed that we would be staying here a while.

Sitting upon the bed I didn't use, I pulled my bag onto my lap and opened it up. First I took out the dark violet wool blanket that I had bought while in Dras Leona. In ways I sort of missed using it. Promptly unrolling it, I placed it on the bed in luau of the blankets I had taken from it. Next I took out the silver water canister that I had also gotten at Dras Leona. I strapped it to my belt, deciding that it would be handy to keep with me. What clothes I had with me I took out and placed in neat piles on the floor, deciding to wash them when I returned later this evening.

Last but not least, I pulled out the two gifts Dylan had given me, what seemed like ages ago. The beautiful blue lily was still in perfect shape, as pretty and dazzling as when he first gave it to me. I placed it upon the side of the bedside table, admiring its beauty for a few moments. Then I grabbed the dark flute he had given me, and held it to my lips, almost tempted to play it. I hadn't played it since the first time, when Murtagh attacked.

I slowly laid the flute next to the lily, resolved to play it again when I had some free time. It would be a waste to not play it. After I was done unpacking, I placed my bag under the bed, giving it more of a feeling of home, and headed out of the tree house and to its base where an elf was waiting for me. As soon as Nyte touched the ground the elf led us away without a word.

We wove through the trees of the forest until we came to a large field where the sounds of metal on metal could be heard. There were areas for different types of practice and fighting, from swordplay, hand to hand, and archery. Eragon and Saphira had also arrived at the training grounds, and I was about to go up and greet them when another elf led Eragon out onto the field, sword in hand.

I stood and watched as they began their duel, not quite sure what I should do, since I had yet to get a blade of my own. The duel between Eragon and the unknown elf seemed bitter and hostile, as well as rather intense. I turned to where my guide had been to ask who the elf was only to find that he had disappeared.

_ "It didn't take him long to vanish. He didn't even say anything. What am I supposed to do now?" _ I looked up at Nyte as I spoke to him, and patted the side of his neck.

_"You could always find someone to ask, or…" _Nyte nudge the top of my head and nodded to my left, _"Or maybe he knows what it is that you are supposed to do."_

A smile, and a faint line of shock, crossed my face as I realized that Jak was making his way through the training grounds and to where I stood. In either hand he held a delicately made elvin sword. "What are you-" Before I could finish asking he tossed one of the swords at me and I caught it with my left hand.

"I am going to be your sparring partner and your teacher when it comes to swordsmanship." Jak grinned as he beckoned me to follow him out onto the training grounds. "Other than he who is sparring with Eragon, I am the best at swordsmanship here. Oromis instructed me to be your partner. He figures that I would be the best one for training you. That sword is a gift from the elves, it is of the highest quality and has magic induced in it. It is yours to keep, Kyra."

I looked at the sword in my hand and smiled, "So you'll be my sparring partner every morning? I get to see you every day?"

"Yes. Until I leave for the Varden, that is. When that time comes I have been given the right to choose who you're new partner will be. Until then, though, I will train you to be the best. Beware, I won't go easy on you at all, and by now I have recovered my full strength. This will be far different than our previous spars. You may be strong, but you still have a lot to learn. Come, protect your sword and face me in battle!"

I grinned, unsheathed my sword and protected the edge, and turned to face Jak in a ready stance. The sword was somewhat heavy compared to using Zar'roc the day before, and was definitely heavier than the sticks and wooden swords I had used in the past. Although the length of the sword and the handle fit me perfectly, with just enough room to grab on with both hands if I needed to, but not so much that I had to use both. Jak had obviously paid attention to my fighting style and picked out a rather appropriate sword for me.

We circled each other once, twice, three times before either of us made a move. As the tension built up I noticed that some of the onlookers from Eragon's match had come over to watch Jak and I. A small bead of sweat ran down the side of my face, and just then Jak side stepped and leaped to my right side, aiming his sword towards my ribs. It took all my strength and speed to just barely parry the blow.

Without giving me time to react or attack back, Jak spun around to attack my other side, using the movement from our previous blow to quicken his pace. This time I couldn't respond fast enough to deflect the entire blow as I felt the tip of Jak's sword slam against my ribs. As the duel went on there were plenty of times where I could barely parry, or not at all. Many times I ended up on the ground, disarmed, with Jak's sword pointing to me. Every time this happened he would help me back up and give me tips.

Even while we were dueling Jak constantly gave me tips and pointers; how to dodge certain movements, read an opponent's oncoming attacks, fix my form, better blocking positions, new attacks, and so much more. By the end of the hour I was tired and sore, and had not landed a single blow on Jak. He was definitely a lot stronger, faster, and better than when I had first sparred him. I also felt like I had improved, even just a little. It was also a fun way to spend the first hour of one's morning.

As we stopped for the day and took drinks from our respective water canisters Saphira's voice, clear as day, rang through our heads, _"Dead."_ Jak and I, amongst many other elves, turned our heads towards Saphira and Eragon. Saphira had pinned down the elf Eragon had been sparring with and had one of her large talons pointed at his neck.

Many elves gasped while others quickly moved away. Saphira looked and sounded angry, and I wondered if the elf had somehow angered her. _"He," _Nyte's voice wafted into my head, _"Was disgracing Eragon and being rather rude while they were sparring."_

The rest of the elves dispersed as Saphira let the elf up and walked away, Eragon in tow. He leapt onto her back without a word and she jumped off the ground and into the air. As she flew away, Jak patted me on the back and said, "Nice work today. I enjoyed our match. You have a long ways to go, but you show ample improvement." He paused and looked at Saphira's shape in the distance, "She sure is a feisty one, that Saphira."

Nyte made a weird sound in the back of his throat that made it seem as though he was chuckling to himself, _"That is because we dragons will do anything to help or protect our riders. We will not tolerate that sort of foolish behavior, even from you oh so mighty elves."_

His words almost sounded sarcastic and mocking at the end. I smiled to myself and replied back, "And we riders will do anything to keep our feisty little dragons in line, and help them anyway we can."

_"Little?"_ Nyte swung his head over mine and let out a small roar, _"It is you who are little, not us."_

Jak and I stared at each other before bursting out laughing, "Very true, Nyte. You are bigger than us, and shall continue to get bigger. I look forward to seeing the day when you are big enough to breathe fire!" Jak grinned and patted Nyte's side.

"That will indeed be a wondrous day," I smiled and then moved to get on Nyte's back, "We must not keep Masters Oromis and Glaedr waiting any longer." At that we said our farewells and then headed off to Oromis's glade to continue the days training.

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Our days fell into a simple routine after that. Early every morning I would get up, bathe, eat, and then head to the training grounds. There Jak and I would spend an hour sparring, and then we would head over to Oromis and Glaedr. From there we would spend most of the day training. After that we would head back to our tree house, and on the flight there Nyte and I would discuss all that we had learned in great detail.

Every other evening I would go to Jak and Dylan's garden, often with scrolls to study tucked under my arms. Those days Nyte would either spend resting or out hunting, and sometimes occasionally finding an elf to chat with. Every time I went to the garden Dylan was there, and we would spend our time catching up with one another, and just chatting for fun. Dylan would often help me go through the scrolls I brought with me, happy that he was able to help. Some evenings, very rarely, Jak would show up at the garden. When Jak did show up, we'd set aside my scrolls and the three of us would spend the evening chatting and having fun, often exploring the various parts of their garden.

The evenings that I didn't go to the garden were spent with Nyte. He and I would either stay in the tree house where I could study while sitting next to his side, or occasionally go flying together over Ellesméra and parts of Du Weldenvarden. Often we would sit quietly, just enjoying each other's presence and letting our thoughts, emotions, and beings mix and mingle. Occasionally I would spend those evenings practicing playing the flute Dylan had given me, at first just making noise, and then using scrolls to learn actual songs. Nyte was the only one that got to hear me play, though.

Very rarely Jak and Dylan would come and invite Nyte and me on small tours of Ellesméra. Little at a time they would familiarize parts of Ellesméra with us, until we knew our way around most, if not all, of the great elf city. We could find our way from out Tree house to the training grounds, the Menoa tree, the hut where the blacksmith elf, Rhunön, lived, the Tidari halls, where Queen Islanzadí lived, and many other places without out getting lost. The more time we spent in Ellesméra, the more at home and at peace we felt, even though we knew it would be short lived.

Training with Oromis and Glaedr was advancing quite well, though. It wasn't long before I could hear no more and become one with the animals and insects in my small clearing. After that, I no longer had to go to my clearing, while Eragon still had to go every day. During the hour where I didn't have to meditate Oromis tried to teach me more of the basics of just about everything to catch me up with Eragon.

Oromis was happy that I had completed the meditation training so quickly since it gave him more time to teach me other things, for I had far less training and knowledge than Eragon. It didn't take long, though, for me to catch up within the knowledge of the Ancient Language. I, too, and Nyte, had to start using the Ancient language all the time, no matter who we were talking to. At first this proved to be a difficult task but as the days went by it became easier, and more natural to me.

There were times that I would chance upon new words on my own, without anyone or anything telling me it. Oromis said that it was because I was part elf, and elves by nature know the Ancient Language. It made me happy to know that I could so easily learn it.

Throughout our days training we learned many things. We studied the past of the riders, elves, dwarves, humans, and all of Alagaësia in general. We learned all aspects of the Ancient Language, from reading, writing, and speaking it. Strengthening our physical bodies by performing the Rimgar and other arduous tasks was a daily part of our lessons as well. There were also times that Eragon and I would go with Glaedr and Saphira and Nyte would stay with Oromis, or we would all go flying together. All different aspects of magic were included in our daily lessons as well, of course.

Eragon excelled in the magical aspects more so than myself. Often times it was hard for him, because of his back, but it was also hard for me, because of the wound on my arm. More often than not Oromis would just have me sit and watch as Eragon completed some of the tasks. He pushed Eragon harder with the magic because if he was pushed too far his back would cause a fit of pain, and then in a short while he'd be able to get up and try again, but if I was pushed too far I would slip into that awful dream state for days or longer, which we couldn't risk.

Some of the smaller tasks that required less energy I was able to perform. When I could perform the magical tasks the quality of my work was outstanding, according to Oromis. Better than some full blood elves, too. The more and more I used the smaller amounts of magic, the easier it was to use my magic without slipping away.

The magic we learned was far and in-between. Moving objects without touching them, restraining each other from moving, creating things, manipulating ourselves and other animals were common practices in our daily training. As well as learning how best to build up the barriers in our minds, and breaking into others' minds.

Though one of my favorite magical things we learned was how to capture an image with magic – making a fairth. Oromis gave us slates and sat us a ways outside his hut, and instructed us with what to do. I surveyed the area time and time again, but I couldn't find anything that I wanted to place upon the surface of the tablet.

Eragon on the other hand quickly picked something and made a brilliant picture focused around a leaf, with its details very pronounced, but the rest of the picture slightly blurry. Oromis gave him another tablet, and it was then that I got an idea, "Master, do I have to chose something that I can see right now?"

"Do you mean to make an image of something from your memory? If so, I'd advise against it, for often times the pictures become askew from what they would originally be. If you have complete concentration and a great memory, with practice, you may be able to do it, but not for your first try."

"I do not wish to take from my memory, Master. I just wish to use something that I myself am not seeing." I paused, wondering if I should just explain what I meant or not.

"Very well. You can try this once, but if it does not work I wish for you to choose something you see, here, in this glade." Oromis smiled and nodded towards me.

"Yes Master." I promptly closed my eyes and studied the scene that flowed into my mind. I took in every detail, every aspect of what I saw, and burned it into my mind's eye. Satisfied, I whispered the words that would place the image onto the tablet.

When I had finished I opened my eyes to see the scene, exactly how I had seen it, placed on the tablet. The picture was breathtaking, and not a single detail was missed. Proud, I offered up the tablet to Oromis's outstretched hand. He grasped it and fixed his eyes on the image. Awe and aspiration filled his gaze and voice as he spoke, "Very nicely done, Kyra. Not only did you grasp every detail and aspect of this lesson well, but to use such a unique method. It makes me ashamed to have not thought of such a thing before. Would you like to see, Eragon?"

Eragon nodded, and took my tablet from Oromis when he offered it. His eyes bulged as he looked over the image and handed it back to me saying, "How did you do this? It's brilliant."

I smiled, "All I did was look through Nyte's eyes, and placed what he saw, and how he saw it." Eragon leaned over to look at the image again, and I let my eyes drift to it as well. Placed upon the tablets surface was a scene that Nyte had seen just moments before. He was resting on a rock by a small creek, in the middle of the forest.

The image depicted what was in front of him; Glaedr was across the creek to the right, his wings tucked against his sides, the tip of his right foreleg and tail were resting in the cool, sparkling water, and a small tuft of smoke drifted out of the side of his mouth. Most of his body was out of the image for how huge his bulk was and how far off to the side of Nyte's vision he had been. Behind and to the side of Glaedr were thick, tall, trees that reached up into the sky. On the left of Glaedr was a huge clearing, with many different wild flowers dotting the surface of the ground, and trees could be seen in the far off distance.

In the left side of the clearing and a short distance away was Saphira. She was in mid flight, just about to land, hanging there in the air. Her wings were outstretched and her body slightly slanted towards Glaedr. All of her scales sparkled as the sunlight glinted off of them and the air swirled around her.

The picture itself was especially intense, with every detail pronounced more than if a person had been the one standing there, and everything had a slight violet hue, for it was seen through Nyte's very eyes. The picture was breathtaking and beautiful, and it made me very happy. _"I am honored, little flower, that you decided to use what I saw for making a fairth."_

Nyte's voice flitted into my head and then left just as quickly as he turned his attention back to what Glaedr was teaching him. Looking back up at Oromis I saw him staring at my fairth with a particular intensity. "Master, if it is not too humble of a picture, I would like to give this to you as a gift."

For a moment a look of surprise passed over Oromis, and he almost rejected the gift, but then thought better of it and happily took it from me. "I am very grateful, Kyra. This picture is unique, and the way Glaedr and Saphira are depicted is something that I would never be able to recreate even if I wanted to. It is nice to see my own dragon in such a brilliant new way. This is a very wonderful gift, from both you and Nyte."

It was then that we noticed the approach of two people. The elf princess Arya, followed by a short little man that I guessed was a dwarf walked up and greeted us. After some banter with Oromis and Eragon the dwarf, who was the first dwarf I had ever seen, came up and introduced himself to me, "The names Orik, it's a pleasure to meet you. It sure warmed my heart to hear that another dragon ride has appeared!"

"I am Kyra and it is nice to meet you, too, Orik." I smiled at him as we shook hands. I learned that he was also part of the Varden, and that he had been sent by the Varden as well as the dwarf king to watch over Eragon's training. He seemed nice enough as it was.

Orik and Arya then settled to watch Eragon create his fairth, to satisfy Orik's needs to watch him train. A few moments later Eragon had created a new fairth, and passed it to Oromis. After a moment of examining it he then passed it to Arya. A moment later she seemed to become extremely angry and smashed the fairth on the ground before stalking off. It turned out that Eragon had made a fairth of Arya, and it was then that I learned of Eragon's infatuation with Arya.

After that Arya never again came to Oromis's while we were training. Extremely rarely Orik would show up for a few moments, and then leave again. I did notice, however, that he showed up at the training grounds every morning to watch Eragon. As the days dragged by I realized that Eragon's condition was rapidly worsening.

Not only did he seem rather upset over the incident with Arya, but physically he was getting worse and worse. It turned so that as he walked there was a slight slump to his posture, and he shuffled his feet. His fits of pain were happening more and more often, and after one particularly bad one during the Rimgar he refused to try it again. Oromis bolstered him with kind, strong, words and he got up again, but I could tell that it was tearing him apart to do so.

It wasn't just Eragon that was having a hard time with things, either. Saphira also seemed to be having problems paying attention and behaving properly while training with Glaedr and Nyte. Things got especially bad on one afternoon in particular. Eragon, Oromis, and myself were sitting inside of Oromis's hut, when we all felt sudden jabs of pain that were not our own.

Glaedr was the first one back, wounded in a few places. He sat by the river licking his wounds, not allowing anyone near him for a while. Eventually Oromis was able to approach him and tend to his wounds, but he still refused to explain what had happened.

Worried, Eragon, at Oromis's approval, called a horse from the forest and sped off to wherever Saphira was. As soon as he was gone Nyte appeared in the sky and landed before me, a huge slash in his right wing. The sight of his torn wing and his blood dripping to the ground sent my stomach lurching.

_"What happened?"_ I cried, while carefully moving my fingers along his wounded wing, slowing but surely healing it bit by bit.

Nyte grunted and winced with the pain, _"Saphira attacked Glaedr…and I got caught in the middle. I don't even know if my wound was inflicted by Saphira or Glaedr, for everything is but a blur."_

Surprise filled me as Nyte spoke, _"Why…why would Saphira attack Glaedr? What would provoke her to do such a thing…?"_ I looked at Nyte while I continued to heal his wing, making sure to go slow enough that I would not trigger a lapse with my arm, "_It saddens me to see you hurt like this. I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you."_

_"Don't be sorry, little flower. It is not your fault, so do not burden yourself with this. Even now you are healing me, which is much more than I could have asked for. Thank you. As for Saphira…Well, she was upset by the fact that Glaedr only treats her as his pupil, nothing more. When she had first seen him she had felt that they would become mates, and together they would save our race. She became overly infatuated with him, and it hurt her to realize that he did not wish to mate with her. She then lashed out and attacked him."_

I patted his side as I finished healing his wing, _"Done. I sort of feel bad for Saphira…but that is still no excuse to lash out and attack her teacher. Glaedr is old and battle worn. Who knows, before Galbatorix caused the fall of the rides he may have had a mate. Mating with Saphira would be wrong on so many levels for him. I do not blame him for treating her as such. You might want to be careful, though, Nyte. You have grown a bit since we have gotten here, and now that she can no longer set her sights on Glaedr, Saphira very well may set her sights on you."_

Sure enough, within a few days Saphira had begun paying more and more attention to Nyte, and trying to get him to play with her. She kept pestering him to the point where Nyte flipped out on her.

After gathering at Oromis's in the morning, before the dragons took off, Saphira had bit the end of Nyte's tail and tried to drag him. He sunk his claws into the ground, yanked his tail from her mouth, whipped his head around and roared at her with all the intensity he could muster.

_"Leave me alone!" _He shouted, his voice crashing into our minds like the waves from a storm on rocks. The intensity of his anger made everyone, including Oromis and Glaedr, take a step back.

_"What is wrong with you? You need to calm down and quit bugging me. Focus on training. Focus on what Glaedr and Oromis are trying so hard to teach us. Saphira, you are a mighty dragon, you are strong, wise, and beautiful, but you need to realize when you are going too far! You should have learned that after what happened with Glaedr!" _Nyte ranted a little more before Saphira growled softly.

_"Is it so wrong for me to want to become close with you, so that we can save our race, after living so much of my life thinking that our race was doomed?"_ Saphira's voice was soft and quite, and paled in comparison to Nyte's angry rant.

_"To save our race? You pester me day in and day out, and even attacked Glaedr under the confines of saving our race? You are foolish! That is not how our race should be saved. Even if we were to eventually mate and make hatchlings, it would mean nothing if Galbatorix is still in power. How we can save our race is to train hard now, defeat Galbatorix, and save the eggs he still has!" _Nyte roared again, and then paced away, _"Maybe you will find a mate amongst that egg…But I will never mate with you as long as you are like this."_

It took a few days to mend the relationship between Nyte and Saphira after that. Nyte's words seemed to have affected Saphira though, for she later apologized to both Glaedr and Nyte and seemed to focus on her training with extreme intensity.

At one point after Saphira and Nyte's blowout, Eragon and I decided to sit down and have a chat. First Eragon told me of his story; how he was a simple farmer living in Carvahall when he found Saphira's egg, how the Ra'zac had come and killed his Uncle, how he had left with the old storyteller Brom, and he told of his time traveling across Alagaësia, meeting Murtagh, joining the Varden and all it entailed, and coming to Ellesméra. In turn I told him my story, leaving out just a few details, like my weird dreams, which I still had yet to tell Oromis about, and a few other things I'd just rather keep to myself. I had a feeling he kept a few things from me as well, though it was no big deal.

Getting to know one another helped forge a friendship between Eragon and me, instead of just a mutual rivalry and kinship between students and fellow dragon riders. We got to know each fairly well and even started spending a day or two here and there together during our free time. Though Eragon still seemed rather depressed and upset and in pain, and sometimes it was better for me to just leave him alone.

As the days went by everything started to blur and mix together. Sparring with Jak every morning was hard work on my body, and training with Oromis got more and more intense every day, and the only thing that kept me together was my free evenings afterwards. Even if I had to study, spending some relaxing time with Dylan, Nyte, and occasionally Eragon, Jak or even Orik, was my saving grace. I could read over the scrolls Oromis gave me at whatever pace I wanted and still enjoy the company of others.

More than a month had passed since I had first arrived in Ellesméra, and slowly but surely I realized that more and more elves were pouring into the city. Not only were there far more elves, but everything had a more festive feeling to it. Decorations were put up everywhere and the elves sang to the plants and trees more than ever.

Upon asking Dylan and Jak about it, they revealed to me that it was in preparation for the upcoming Agaetí Blödhren, the Blood-Oath Celebration honoring the pact between the elves and dragons. They also told me how even I was expected to bring something to the celebration, which got me panicking. I had only a few days to come up with an art work to rival that of the elves.

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End of Chapter 12! ((Up Next: _Chapter 13: The Spice of Life_))

As always, Reviews, Questions, Comments, and Concerns are all greatly appreciated!  
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

P.S. A friend of mine has some awesome Hunger Games and Doctor Who fanfics up. So, check her out if you have the time. Please and thank you!  
Her username is: **Scandalous Sparkle**


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